I Love You, Idiot
by Hotaru Nakama
Summary: It's Renji's birthday, and he knows exactly what he wants to do to celebrate the occasion. Will Ichigo go along with it? Are Renji's plans a complete disaster in the making, or will it end up being a night both of them will never forget? Lemon. Edited!
1. Birthday Plans

**A/N:**Wow! I can't believe how much positive feedback I received for 'Broken Glasses'. Now, I give you my first piece of fiction with my favorite yaoi bleach pairing, Renji and Ichigo. This began as a simple one-shot, but now I think it will be at least three chapters. We'll see where these guys want to take us. As usual, I don't own Ichigo or Renji (oh, how I wish I did), or anything associated with Bleach, except for my stories. Your comments are ALWAYS welcome! *Shameless begging for reviews*

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><p><em>Stupid, fucking Renji. Big, stupid, loud-mouthed, clumsy fucking Renji. Big, stupid, loud-mouthed, clumsy, irresistibly sexy, annoyingly charming Renji and his stupid, hair-brained ideas. Why do I let him talk me into this kind of shit? It's never anything but trouble whenever he cooks up one of these little schemes, but I always go along with it because... Because...<em>

_I love him. Oh, God, I really do love him, and that probably makes me just as much of an idiot as he is. Hell, it probably makes me even _**more **_of an idiot. _Ichigo sighed to himself as he tried in vain to tame his mop of unruly, wild orange spikes, deciding for the millionth time in his life that he absolutely despised his damn hair. Usually he didn't care enough to bother with it, but tonight was a special occasion. _It is his birthday, plus it's his last night here..._

Ichigo stopped to scowl at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The latter part of that was a big factor in the strawberry's particularly foul mood today, along with his apprehension of the plan for tonight.

After an entire summer of the shinigami fukutaichou staying in Karakura Town on assignment to collect information on the World of the Living for the Siereitei's research database (or so he'd told Ichigo, although the substitute shinigami suspected it was just a bullshit excuse he came up with to spend three months with his human lover), living in an apartment not far away from Ichigo's home, Renji had become a part of Ichigo's everyday life. While he first wondered how in the world they would manage not to kill each other with so much togetherness when they could barely go an hour without arguing over something, he now found it hard to imagine his life without his lover.

Sure, they'd done their fair share of squabbling over the last ninety days; two weeks ago they'd gotten into a screaming match about Renji's atrocious driving skills that resulted in Ichigo being left on the sidewalk and told he could fucking _walk _his bitchy teenage ass back home, then. Another time forced the crimson-haired shinigami to sleep on the couch because how the hell was Ichigo supposed to sleep when Renji snored like some large, disgruntled animal in his ear? Ichigo's inability to pick up his things in the bathroom drove Renji crazy, likewise the fact that Renji let dirty dishes pile up until you could barely see the kitchen sink made Ichigo want to rip his hair out. They feuded over who got control of the TV remote, what radio station they listened to in the car, who got to sleep on which side of the bed, and the toppings on their pizza. Renji was loud and obnoxious, particularly when Ichigo wanted it quiet; Ichigo had a tendency to whine and nitpick at the smallest, most insignificant things that Renji simply couldn't understand.

But for all the headaches they gave each other, their little spats never lasted long and there were plenty of things about his lover that made Ichigo completely forget his unsavory idiosyncrasies. Mornings slowly awaking to the feeling of feather-light, loving kisses, nestled against the broad, warm chest with those strong arms wrapped protectively around him; calloused fingers that stroked, grabbed, caressed and explored every inch of his body, making his back arch as he shivered; a hot, skilled mouth that knew just where to bite, and suck, and lick, and kiss to drive him absolutely wild; the deep, husky voice that had so many different tones that could make him feel any emotion in the spectrum. Inside jokes, long talks and whispered promises shared as they lie in bed or snuggled on the couch; laughter and teasing as they cooked meals together and watched movies; nighttime walks and swims in the neighborhood pool during the hot days; sparring in the underground training room at the shoten; sweltering, long nights full of passion that left them breathless and sweating, clinging to each other in the darkness.

They'd fallen into a bit of a routine during the past twelve weeks, but tomorrow it would all change when Renji left him to go back to his life in the Siereitei. _Things will certainly be quiet around here, _he thought. _Quiet and miserable_.

His frown deepened as he sighed again, opening the medicine cabinet to pull out his toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. As he brushed his teeth, he pushed the melancholy from his mind and instead thought of every way tonight could turn into a total disaster, any argument on why this was the worst idea in the history of the three worlds to bring up to Renji when he went downstairs. Why, oh shit, _why _had he told Renji he would sneak him into a gay nightclub for his birthday? Oh right, because of this morning.

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><p><em>Earlier that day<em>

The bright sun peeked through the down-turned blinds on the window in Renji's small apartment bedroom, casting slanted lines of light on the bed. The teen grunted softly as he turned away from the unwelcome brightness, buried his face deeper into the warm chest of the older man that held him close. A rough hand curled in his hair, ruffling the messy orange spikes.

"Mm," Renji sighed, his other arm draped over the strawberry's back. "Mornin', kiddo."

The boy cropped open a sleepy wine-colored eye, looked at the glowing numbers on the digital clock: 12:30. "_Afternoon_, you mean," he corrected tiredly, yawning as he wiped the sleep-crust from his eyes. He rested his chin on Renji's chest, smiling up at the pineapple, then lifted himself for a kiss, morning breath be damned. "And happy birthday."

Renji's warm lips moved against his as he held the kiss for several moments, then smiled a bit as he looked down at the beautiful teen boy in his arms. Even after all this time, he still couldn't believe his luck. "Thanks, babe," he murmured, then glanced around and pretended to look affronted. "What, no flowers, no cards, no breakfast in bed? Come on, Ichi, you're supposed to do something _romantic _today."

Ichigo scoffed as he took the shinigami's roaming hands off him and pinned them down on either side of the pillow. "First of all, you're the one who says my cooking is for shit. Secondly, I don't have the money for stupid flowers that would just die in a week anyway. And I don't need to buy you a folded up piece of paper with a cheesy, rhyhming verse written on it to tell you how I feel, just listen: 'Roses are red, violets are blue, you're the biggest asshole I know, now go take a shower, you smell like one, too.' Happy now?"

Renji threw his head back with a bark of laughter, still husky from sleep. "Oh yeah, it's everything I wanted to hear and more, _much _more. Thanks a lot, _buttercup_," he teased back, licking his lips.

Ichigo laughed as he nuzzled Renji's neck. "Anytime, _cupcake_," he added sarcastically, his eyes following the jagged black lines down Renji's nude torso. They were still naked from last night. Though he'd never tell the egotistical prick – God knew his head didn't need to be inflated any more than it already was – Renji was truly beautiful; wild, feral, animalistic, all crimson, long hair and masculine features. The boy ached inside every time he looked at him. Now he ached even more knowing this would be the second to last time he would be able to wake up to see his impossibly gorgeous lover sleeping next to him.

To distract himself from his depressing thoughts lest he do something stupid like break down into tears, instead he wrinkled his brow, asking, "How old are you, like, really?"

Renji gazed up at the young boy, his hands rubbing gentle circles on the strawberry's lean-muscled shoulders. He'd just seen it again, that _look _Ichigo had been getting over the past few days. They'd be somewhere like in bed or getting a shower, when Ichigo would just suddenly zone out as the sadness washed over his face, darkening his usually bright brandy-colored eyes. A few times Renji had even seen tears rise in his eyes, thought Ichigo might actually cry. He sincerely hoped that he wouldn't, because if the kid shed even one tear Renji would certainly lose it, too. But of course Ichigo never broke, instead just carrying on the conversation or asking a random question, shaking his head as if forcing away his sadness. He knew that his leaving for Soul Society tomorrow had something to do with it, but he didn't know what to say to make it better, didn't know how to change it, so he went along with Ichigo in avoiding the subject.

Renji snorted. "So old I don't even keep track anymore. I'm slightly older than Kuchiki-taichou, but younger than Ukitake-taichou. We'll just call it forty-three."

Ichigo looked mildly disgusted. "My dad is only forty-one. God, I can't believe I'm dating such an old fart."

"Oh, you haven't even the slightest idea. Now, instead of insulting me, why don't you put that mouth to better use?" He grinned wolfishly as he closed his hand in Ichigo's hair again, tugged on the orange spikes until Ichigo complied and crawled up Renji's chest for a deep, slow kiss.

The older shinigami's heart clenched as he felt the almost desperate, needy way the boy pressed their mouths together, clinging to the pineapple for dear life. Renji slid his hands down Ichigo's back, gripped his hips and pulled him closer, responding just as passionately to the kisses, thinking he could nibble, suck, and lick that kicked puppy look off his face. He wanted to make Ichigo smile, to see him arch and hear him call his name in pleasure. He wanted to infuse not just their bodies but their souls so that when he went home tomorrow he could take a part of Ichigo with him, so he could leave something of himself behind so his lover wouldn't feel so alone. So that Ichigo would know he wasn't being abandoned by someone else he loved.

Instead, he tried to give all the reassurances he could through the rough touches that he knew would leave bruises on tender, peach skin, with kisses that were hard and full and possessive. He would make sure to leave his mark on Ichigo, reminding his lover of what they had every time he looked in the mirror. He suddenly turned, flipping the strawberry onto his back, pinning him down as he nipped at his throat. Ichigo moaned, but just when it looked like the pineapple had him exactly where he wanted him, in one swift movement he shifted, knocking Renji off him, once again trapping the older man beneath him. So strong for such a young boy. Their intimate times often ended up in a struggle for dominance, much like the rest of their relationship.

"Don't move a muscle," Ichigo growled, his darkened, lustful eyes burning a hole into Renji, making a light shiver run down his spine.

He grunted, then moaned as Ichigo grabbed a handful of braided crimson and yanked sharply, attacking Renji's vulnerable, exposed throat with sharp teeth and a hot, wet tongue. His hands ran down Renji's sides, clamped down on his hips and forced him against the mattress, continuing his mouth's teasing descent on the fukutaichou's heavily tattooed body.

Ichigo still couldn't believe this was happening. It was hard to believe he was once the shy, awkward teenager who nearly passed out at the mere notion of sexual contact, now taking control in bed with his lover that he'd done, well, mostly everything with. Okay, everything besides... _that_. They had talked about it plenty, made promises as they ground against each other, sucked and jerked each other off. Ichigo had even begged for it a few times, asking Renji to take him, but they always stopped short for one reason or another, either Ichigo backing out or Renji stopping and telling Ichigo he wanted him to be sure, really _sure _before he took that step. Even so, what they had already done together, what Ichigo planned to do to Renji now, would have been the furthest thing from his mind before Renji came into his life. Before he'd finally accepted who he really was.

Now he explored the well-known expanse of the large shinigami's body with his mouth, traced the jagged, thick black lines with his tongue, closed his lips around a dusky nub, sucking and nipping until Renji arched up and groaned in response. He continued down over black-and-tan, salty flesh, kissing over his stomach before dipping his tongue into his navel and sucking. His heart pounded in his ears as Renji growled a deep, husky _'Fuck', _his large hands clutching at the sheets beneath him. Ichigo nibbled down the last few inches, followed the last two lines pointing like arrows down to his... _Shit. _He buried his nose in dried blood-colored curls, wetting the hair as his tongue slid around Renji's thick erection, taking the soft sac into his mouth, rolling the large orbs around as he sucked.

"Fuck, Ichi, fuck, I – _God_," Renji moaned, already incoherent as he squirmed under Ichigo's ministrations.

Ichigo smirked to himself as he pressed his tongue against the underside vein, dragging all the way up to the swollen head where he swirled and dipped it into the slit before closing his lips around the tip, suckling gently. His eyes locked on Renji's garnet ones, gazing up at him almost daringly. Renji whined softly as he lifted his hips slightly, just enough so that his cock slid into Ichigo's mouth a bit more before he stopped, watching as Ichigo accepted the added length easily, his lips tightly over his teeth as he began to move up and down in a steady motion.

"Shit, that's it, baby, now take me in more," he instructed, letting out a shaky breath as Ichigo obeyed, letting Renji's cock slide in his mouth a little bit further each time he sunk down. Renji was big, Ichigo's lips were stretched out as wide as possible around his cock, working with great effort to get more inside, and Renji reached down to wipe the tears of exertion from his eyes.

The vulnerable, impossibly _young _look in Ichigo's eyes made the older man ache, made him almost want to stop the teen to pull him back into his embrace. To show him that everything he was giving he would get back from Renji tenfold. So he wouldn't be so _scared _anymore.

More than ever before, he wanted to make love to Ichigo.

Ichigo held Renji's cock around the base with his thumb and forefinger, stroking the last few inches he couldn't get into his mouth as his lips pumped up and down, over and over, relishing in each twitch and throb of pleasure, focusing on it to remind himself that Renji was still here, with him. Renji was rocking his hips gently now, matching Ichigo's rhythm; bucking upward when he pulled back, relaxing when he went down again. His chest heaved raggedly with every breath, panting, moaning and grunting as he cradled Ichigo's head in his hands, watching as the orange-haired teen pulled back to lap hungrily at the pre-come leaking from the head of Renji's cock.

"You taste so good," he moaned, his lips brushing over the sensitive, reddened skin, making another, harder shudder run through Renji. He gazed up at the redhead, licking at his cock like a lollipop. Then he closed his mouth over the head and moaned again, sending vibrations down the redhead's length, making him cry out sharply.

Renji whined as he reached down, stroking Ichigo's cheek lovingly. He swallowed thickly, "Ichi, I – Please. Please, I'm so close. Make me come."

The little mewl he received in response, along with the way he eagerly sucked Renji's cock fully back into his mouth, tightened his lips and moved faster was definitely a resounding 'affirmative'. He began to stroke him as his head bobbed, once again teasing the sac beneath, then suddenly let go, resting his hands on Renji's thighs as he took a deep breath before swallowing Renji's entire length until the head slid down his throat, his nose buried in dark crimson pubes. At the same time as he deep-throated he hummed, long and deep.

Ichigo was suddenly glad they'd decided to spend the night at Renji's apartment, because when he came Renji screamed so loud that he was sure had they been at his family's house that he would have woken both sisters and his father, as well as their surrounding neighbors. Renji's body convulsed and jerked as if he was having a seizure instead of an orgasm, the hot seed bursting from him down Ichigo's throat as his cock twitched and throbbed with pleasure. Ichigo did his best to swallow every last drop, resuming the stroking of his hand to milk Renji, his eyes locked on him the whole time.

Renji's hips bucked and jerked erratically, finally slowing and coming to a stop. He raked his fingers through Ichigo's hair, rubbing the teen's neck affectionately. Ichigo gently released his now limp cock, gazing up at him as he nuzzled the redhead's stomach and licked off the droplets of come from his lips. Then he crawled back up and kissed Renji deeply, pushing his tongue into the older man's mouth to let him taste himself. Renji let out a deep, almost purring moan, sucking Ichigo's come-painted tongue as he held the boy against his chest.

"Mm, good?" Ichigo asked as they broke apart a moment later. He stroked his fingers down the crimson braid that fell over Renji's shoulder.

"No, fucking _amazing, _Ichi," Renji breathed, pressing kisses down Ichigo's neck. He allowed himself to calm, then started to move Ichigo off him. "Turn around."

"W—What? Why?" Ichigo asked, flushing at the way his voice squeaked a bit nervously. Was Renji actually going to take him right here, now? He swallowed hard, feeling his heart thudding in his chest. He wanted it, had for some time now, but...

"Shh, it's okay, baby. Just trust me," Renji murmured, gently coaxing Ichigo down on his stomach.

Ichigo took a shaky breath, letting it out slowly as he turned his head on the pillow to look back at Renji. His eyes held uncertainty and fear. Renji smoothed his hands down Ichigo's back, holding him around the waist as he brought his lips down to Ichigo's mouth.

The kiss was slightly awkward at this angle, but it seemed to be what Ichigo needed, as soon as their lips met Renji felt the strawberry's entire body go soft and pliant. Renji grinned at him, relieved when he got a crooked smile in return, as he kissed and nipped gently back over Ichigo's jaw, then caught a soft earlobe between his teeth, sucking and nibbling it. Ichigo whimpered, squirming restlessly beneath the larger man, then gasped when he felt Renji's cock rub against his back, going ramrod still again.

"Easy, baby," the crimson-haired shinigami whispered against the shell of Ichigo's ear, rubbing soothing circles on his slim hips. "Not gonna fuck you now, at least not like that. But, I promise it will be just as good," he released the lobe, his lips trailing back over the nape of Ichigo's neck, letting his tongue and teeth drag lightly over the smooth, peaches-and-cream skin.

Ichigo dug his fingers into the pillow, still wondering just what the hell Renji was up to as he dragged his tongue all the way down his spine, making him shiver and moan in anticipation. He sucked in another hard breath when Renji's tongue proceeded to slide down between his cheeks, then felt slick heat brush over his entrance. The wet, soft muscle traveled all the way down until it found his already tightly drawn sac, tasted the orbs and teased his perineum before sliding back to the small pucker, swirling around it, probing around it but never going inside.

Ichigo whined and panted, trying to push back into the sensations. "R-Renji..." He cut himself off with another groan as Renji continued his torturous, slow tease, then cried out as the redhead closed his lips around the pink pucker and sucked, nibbling softly. "G-God, fuck! Renji!"

Renji let his tongue slowly trace around Ichigo's entrance again, his voice sounding like the deep growl of a jungle cat. "You want more, baby?"

"God, _yes_, please," Ichigo shivered, burying his face into his arm draped over the pillow.

Renji kissed the back of Ichigo's thigh before pressing his tongue back against the little pucker, slowly letting just the tip slide in. Ichigo threw his head back and whined Renji's name again, panting heavily and trembling now. Renji heard the wet sound of Ichigo's cock rubbing against the sheets, no doubt leaking like a faucet, massaging his hips gently as he pushed his tongue in just a little deeper. Ichigo cried out again, scrabbling at the sheets as he sobbed with the intense pleasure. He'd never had any idea _that _part of him was so full of nerves that could make every touch in the area into an explosion of pleasure, that someone's mouth playing down there could feel so _good_. Of everything Renji had ever done to him, he couldn't remember any of it feeling quite _this _amazing.

Ichigo was so fucking tight, more so than Renji ever imagined, his tongue so tightly constricted that it almost went numb. He waited a moment until he felt Ichigo relax again – well, as much as he could be expected to relax with a tongue up his ass – then pushed in as far as the slick muscle could reach. Ichigo mewled in half pleasure and half discomfort. As he paused again, giving Ichigo a moment to adjust to the new sensation of being penetrated, he ran his hands up and down Ichigo's back and over his arms, squeezing the hand Ichigo had resting at his side.

Ichigo squeezed Renji's hand back softly, panting quietly into the crook of his arm, then seemed to understand what Renji was waiting for and spoke up shakily. "I-I'm okay n-now."

Renji's hand tightened gently on his wrist again, his rough thumb rubbing the delicate skin. Ichigo heard the unspoken question, '_Are you sure?'_

To everyone else, Renji Abarai was impulsive, brash, impatient, stubborn and strong-willed to a fault. In some ways they were right, he _could _be all of things when he wanted to be, however there was another side to him, another part of who he was that Ichigo suspected only he had the privilege to see, except perhaps for Rukia.

It was especially apparent when they were intimate like this, had been from the moment they'd decided to be together. From the very beginning Renji, despite having his own desires and needs, had been nothing but patient with Ichigo, instinctively understanding that all of this was new for the boy, and there were reasons why he'd never experienced it with anyone else that went beyond his age. So he went about it all treating his young lover as if he were some fragile, delicate thing that could easily be shattered if pushed too far. This is why Ichigo fell in love with him, because of these moments when he was gentle and loving and careful, putting his own needs on the back-burner to be what his lover needed. If only everyone else could see this side of him, but then he knew they never would, because it was only for _him_, a thought that made his eyes sting all over again.

Renji stole Ichigo's thoughts away as he swirled his tongue, beginning to pull out. Ichigo's next moan was all pleasure as he arched his back, pushing up toward the hot tongue inside him, making sounds of delight with every panted breath. Those sounds were all it took for Renji to start fucking him with his mouth, pushing his tongue in and pulling out as he tasted every inch of Ichigo's tight, silky, heated passage, flicking and swirling as he sucked on his entrance. Ichigo felt himself on the verge of orgasm in almost no time, bucking his hips as he cried out and whimpered into the pillow.

"Hands and knees, baby," Renji instructed when he pulled his tongue out again, helping him to prop himself up a bit.

Ichigo whined. "Fuck, Renji, I-I can't... So close..."

"Here," Renji looped one arm around Ichigo's middle, holding him in place. With the other hand he reached between Ichigo's legs, fisted his cock and pulled _just right_. At the same time he plunged back into Ichigo's hole, his tongue twisting inside his silken, smooth walls as he nibbled the pink pucker.

Ichigo let out a high-pitched keening noise, followed by a guttural, growling moan as he convulsed and came over Renji's fingers, the strands of milky white seed collecting in a pool on the sheets. He finally collapsed, feeling Renji's tongue slip from him as the shinigami pulled his spinelessly limp body away from the soiled spot on the sheets, cradling the boy against his chest.

"Shit, Renji, _shit_," Ichigo panted, still feeling the little shocks of pleasure jolting his body, making him quiver. "God..."

"Shh, baby," Renji murmured, running his hand up and down Ichigo's side. "I got you, it's okay."

Ichigo nuzzled against Renji's neck, closing his eyes as he tried to remember how to breathe properly. Several long minutes went by with no sound in the room except for their heavy panting and Renji's heartbeat thumping softly against Ichigo's cheek. The strawberry's hand slid down and was met with hard heat.

"You fuckin' pervert," he murmured affectionately, nipping at an errant black tattoo. "That got you all horny again, didn't it? Well, let me just return the favor-"

Instead, Renji's hand caught his wrist, stopping him before he could take hold of his cock. "No, no, it's okay. I'm good, you don't have to."

Ichigo blinked, staring up at him. "What do you mean 'no'? Is something wrong?" He smirked and pinched the redhead's side. "Did I tire you out already, old man? Need a nap before we have another go?"

Renji chuckled huskily, swatting the strawberry's hand away. "Watch it, you little punk. For your information, no, it has nothing to do with me already being tired. I just want to make sure _you _have the energy for tonight."

Ichigo frowned a bit in confusion. "Tonight? What's tonight?" He found himself blushing, his mouth going a little dry. Did Renji mean...?

"When I get the other half of my birthday present," Renji stated matter-of-factly, as if Ichigo should have already been aware of it.

"Who said you were getting anything else today?" Ichigo scoffed, poking the redhead in the ribs again. "I thought staying in bed and letting you do unmentionable, dirty things to me would be enough."

"Oh, not even _close_, kiddo," Renji laughed, untangling himself from Ichigo and sitting up. The teen scowled at him as Renji smirked, leaning in for a kiss. "Aw come on, I'm just teasing you, babe. Trust me, the sexy-time was _incredible_, but, there is something else I want to do..."

Ichigo propped himself up on his elbow, still frowning. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going. "What?"

"I wanna go out with you tonight," he said as he reached down to the floor to grab his boxers, sliding them back on.

"Go out? Where?" He asked, confused. Now he _knew _he didn't like where this was going. Renji out in public, running amok in Ichigo's hometown where there were people that had known him since he was born, who he saw all the time and had every opportunity to remind him of any embarrassments that may have occurred over his seventeen years? People in Karakura Town never forgot _anything_. If he took Renji out and the big dope fucked things up, as he was certainly bound to do, he'd never hear the end of it until he moved away or died.

"I want to check out that new club they opened up across town. What did you tell me the name of it was? _Evolution_, right?"

Ichigo's eyes popped so big they nearly fell out of his head. "The gay night club?" He shrieked, his voice rising several octaves above normal.

Renji leaned in close with a dry smile. "Say it louder, Ichigo, I don't think they heard you in Hong Kong. Yes, the gay bar. What's the big deal?"

Ichigo balled the blankets up in his fists, sputtering indignantly. "Are you fucking crazy? We can't go there! First of all, I've never been to any kind of club before, let alone a _gay one_. Secondly, I can't get in, you have to be twenty-one. I'm _seventeen,_ remember?"

"Number one, I've never been either, that's why I wanna go. And I'm _clearly _over twenty-one, so I think it will be pretty easy for me to sneak you in. But just in case you get caught, I do have a back-up plan," he told him as he opened the drawer beside the bed, rummaging around until he found what he was looking for, depositing the small item in Ichigo's hand.

A white, laminated card._ Daisuke Murakami. Age: 23. _

"You got me a fake ID? You must be out of your goddamn mind! No, there's no fucking way, Renji, I'm _not _doing this."

"Oh, come on, Ichi!" Renji said in a whiny voice, sticking out his bottom lip. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, just to go out and have fun with you. Besides, it's my _birthday_, and as my boyfriend you're supposed to go along with anything I want to do tonight. _Please_."

_Boyfriend. _God, Ichigo hated that expression, it sounded so damn juvenile. "I said no, Renji."

"Ichigooooo!" Renji was getting louder and whinier by the second. Ichigo felt a headache coming on. "Please, I really, really, _really _want to go. I promise, nothing bad will happen, I've got everything all planned out. If you do this for me, I'll do anything you want, _anything_. Please, please, please, please."

Ichigo chewed his lip. _I don't want anything from you except for you not to leave... Can you promise me you won't go? _Ugh, what was his problem today? He usually wasn't this sappy. The point was this was a _stupid _idea that had the potential to go horribly awry, which it likely would since Renji was involved. No way, he couldn't, would not do it no matter what Renji did or said to try and convince him. "_No_."

Renji sighed in frustration. _Alright, time to pull out the big guns_. "Why? Are you _scared_?"

Ichigo's head shot up, his eyes hardening as his hands tightened in the blankets, his jaw tense.

_Bingo_, Renji had to bite his lip not to grin.

"Shut up, I'm not fucking scared, dumbass. This is just a really, really stupid, bad, ridiculous idea. I could get caught, and there's no way I'm going to risk getting in trouble just so you can dance badly, get drunk off your ass and ogle every hot guy in Karakura Town."

Renji grinned devilishly as he pulled Ichigo into his arms, trying to kiss him. Ichigo sighed as he turned his head away, his scowl deepening. Renji nudged his cheek with his nose. "You're the only hot guy I plan to ogle, and you will _not_ get caught, I promise. Like I said, nothing bad will happen. When have I ever put you in harm's way?"

"How about when you tried to kill me?"

"Acient history, baby. Besides, if memory serves me correctly I was the one who nearly died that day. Can you name another time?"

"When you dragged me to Hueco Mundo a few months ago."

Renji growled and banged his fist on the bed. "Ichigo, goddammit!"

Ichigo sighed as he buried his face in Renji's shoulder. "Alright, _alright_. Fine, we'll do it. God, you're such an idiot. This has got to be the dumbest idea you've ever had. But if this all goes to shit, I have the right to bankai your ass all the way back to Soul Society."

"Deal!" Renji grinned, hugging Ichigo tightly. "Thanks, baby, thank you so much. I love you."

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered, pulling away from Renji as he stood up, stalking off to the bathroom get a shower.

"Thank you, baby!" Renji called again gleefully.

Ichigo slammed the bathroom door shut, but he could still hear Renji's deep laughter drifting down the hallway.

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><p>Now Ichigo gave himself one more cursory glance in the bathroom mirror, taking a slow, trembling breath. He smoothed out his maroon beater, adjusted the collar of his charcoal gray, short-sleeved over-shirt, then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his dark blue, skin-tight jeans.<p>

_Here goes nothing, _he thought bleakly.

He turned off the light and left the bathroom as he trudged downstairs like a man walking to the gallows, ready for what was sure to be a terribly long night.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two coming soon! Love you all!<strong>

**-Hotaru**


	2. Giving In

**A/N: **Hello, everyone, Hotaru is here again! I'm sorry this has taken me so long to update, but thank you to all of you who have expressed an interest for this story, it means a lot to me! I just got back from having surgery, so that's why this has taken such a long time to get up. I know it's a bit shorter, but while I was writing it, intending for it to be one chapter I found that it seemed a bit too long not to be broken up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"S'about damn time," Renji drawled teasingly as Ichigo finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "You take longer to get ready than a chick."<p>

Ichigo started to retort, wanting to tell Renji to shut up or remind him that it was politically incorrect to call women 'chicks', but any comeback he had died on his lips when he saw his lover.

Renji looked incredible, understated but still absolutely gorgeous, no small feat for a man who often dressed in the ugliest, most gaudy clothes that even a blind person would know better than to wear. Tonight he'd gone for simplistic and sexy with a light gray cotton shirt, the long sleeves rolled up with the three buttons on the chest left undone, leaving his throat exposed and the edges of the black lines on his chest just barely visible, paired with tan khaki pants and brown leather belt. His thick, straight crimson hair – holy hell, it was beautiful, wild just like Renji and unearthly red – was free of the usual stupid, pineapple-top ponytail, cascading freely down until it reached his thick waist. Throughout his life Ichigo had been teased about his freaky hair, but Renji's was unbelievably gorgeous.

"Wow," He breathed when he finally got a good look at Ichigo, straightening up from where he was leaning against the doorway into the living room. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Ichigo, planting a kiss on his lips. "You look great, baby. Really beautiful."

"I guess all that extra time in the bathroom paid off, then," Ichigo quipped when he finally collected his thoughts enough to speak, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks. He smiled in spite of himself, returning the chaste kiss. "Thanks. You look really good, too."

Actually, 'really good' didn't even begin to cover it. Renji looking so amazing that Ichigo desperately wanted to tell Renji to forget going out, take him back upstairs to their bed and spend the night making love until he forgot what it was like to not have his lover inside him.

"Don't I know it," Renji flashed him that wolfish, playful grin, making Ichigo's heart clench at the same time as he fought not to roll his eyes. "Come on, let's go, I can't _wait _to show off to everyone that I have the hottest boyfriend in all of Karakura Town. Oh hell, the hottest boyfriend in all of _Japan_."

"Alright, now you're just going overboard," Ichigo said as he crossed his arms, watching Renji walk across the room to put his denim jacket on. "Do we really have to do this, Ren? I don't want to go out tonight..."

He cringed inwardly at the whiny tone his voice had taken on, hating that he was coming off like such a brat, but he couldn't help it. The idea of being stuffed into a small, overly hot place full of drunk people and blaring dance music was just about the most unappealing thought in the world right now. All he wanted to do tonight was hide away with Renji where the rest of the world couldn't see him slowly crumbling inside.

Renji sighed as he turned around to face Ichigo, pulling his hair free from under his jacket. "We've already been through this argument, I thought it was settled. Yes, Ichi, I really do want to go. Besides, you promised me that we could. What's the matter with you, anyway? Since when are you so opposed to having a little fun?"

Ichigo scowled deeply at him. "Nothing is 'the matter with me'," he said, hoping the man wouldn't catch him in the lie. "This is _your _idea of fun, not mine. I told you already, I think it's really stupid."

"Oh," Renji answered quietly, actually looking hurt. He'd taken great pains to make everything for this evening perfect, hoping a night of music and dancing and being together would help to lift Ichigo's spirits, but now it was about to backfire in his face like his pathetic kido. He came over to the strawberry, taking his hands in his larger, rougher ones.

"Well, I'm sorry. Look, if you really don't want to go, we don't have to. We can just go rent some movies, come back and make dinner and stay in. Really, that's okay with me. I'm sorry for pressuring you," he said earnestly, running his thumbs over Ichigo's knuckles.

Usually at this point the teen would be gloating about winning yet another argument, rubbing it in Renji's face how the older man just couldn't beat him. But looking up into those sad garnet eyes full of disappointment, seeing the rare wounded expression on that handsome face made Ichigo feel even more deflated than before. He'd been acting like a total jerk and he knew it, but now that Renji had caved in he discovered it really wasn't about the stupid night club. No matter where they went or what they did, the fact was that when morning came Renji would leave, and nothing he did could change it. That alone was why Ichigo was hurting so bad, what he was trying so desperately to fight against, not Renji himself but the passage of time that would eventually steal him away from Ichigo.

_I'm scared to be without you, I'm heartbroken that I can't go with you and I'm fucking angry that there's nothing I can do about it. But most of all, I hate myself for needing you so badly, for being so goddamn weak. My strength has always been the only thing I had to hang onto, but now you've taken that away from me, too. When you leave, I'll have absolutely nothing left._

But he couldn't find the words to say all of that aloud, so instead he sighed heavily, resigned, as he shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. You told me you really wanna do this, and it's your birthday. I can just suck it up."

Renji sighed as he slipped his arms around the boy and buried his nose into his soft, freshly-washed hair. "I don't want you to 'just suck it up', Ichi. If we do this I want you to enjoy it as I'm going to."

Ichigo nuzzled his face into Renji's shoulder, his arms going around him. "That's not how I meant it, I just mean that we can go if you really want to. I'm just, I dunno, not feeling quite myself today, but I'm sure it'll be really fun once we're there," he tilted his face up to look at the redhead apologetically. "Sorry."

Renji kissed his forehead with a light smile. "Nothing to apologize for, babe. Are you sure that you want to go, though? Because if not, I'll be perfectly happy staying in, as long as I get to be with you."

Ichigo planted a kiss on Renji's neck, squeezing him around his waist. No matter how much the pineapple could piss him off, when he said things like that Ichigo realized he was pretty damned lucky to have him. "Yeah, I'm sure, let's go. But, I have just one condition..."

Renji lifted a tattooed eyebrow inquisitively, releasing the berry from his arms. "And what's that?"

The substitute shinigami grinned as he snatched the car keys up from the end table in the entryway before the redhead could reach them, jingling them in front of Renji's face teasingly. "We're taking your car, and _I _get to drive."

The older man groaned, though he couldn't stop the grin that split his face. At least Ichigo was getting into it now. "Oh, alright, I suppose. But, don't you dare even put a _scratch _on that baby, you hear me? I don't have rental insurance, and taichou sure as hell wouldn't give me a raise to pay for the damages."

"Oh, come on, Ren!" Ichigo rolled his eyes as he started for the door. "Seriously, I'm not _that_ bad of a driver. Okay, I've had a few close calls, but nothing's ever actually happened. You're the one who peeled out of the driveway and hit the neighbor's mailbox last Tuesday..."

"Because I had you on the phone bitching me out that I was late for breakfast. The same breakfast that you managed to burn everything but the cereal, I might add," Renji shot back as he followed Ichigo outside, beginning down the stairs of the complex to the small parking lot.

"Excuse me, if you could've managed to get your ass to my house on time, it would have been perfect. I didn't want it to get cold and I just... forgot to turn down the heat..."

Renji barked out a laugh, which earned him a salute courtesy of Ichigo's middle finger, who didn't even turn around to look at him. Renji smirked to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose while shaking his head. _Well, isn't this a lovely start to my birthday night... _He thought with another soft chuckle.

They continued bickering as they made their way across the lot to the rented, old silver Cadillac and climbed inside.

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><p>"Don't touch it again!" Ichigo shouted the warning over the blaring music from the car stereo, the bass thumping so hard that it actually shook the windows as he swatted Renji's hand away from the volume dial.<p>

They made it a rule at the beginning of the summer that whoever rode shotgun had free reign over the radio. It was implemented with the purpose of cutting down on the number of arguments they had, though it didn't work very well since not having control over the music didn't stop the driver from complaining about whatever the other decided to listen to. Right now Renji had it set to an all scream-rock station, head-banging as he bellowed out the lyrics along with the singer. Every few seconds he reached over to turn the volume up, bringing the noise level in the car to an ear-splitting decibel. Finally, Ichigo decided to put a stop to it before he had a severe migraine attack or blood started to seep from his ears.

Renji leaned in close to Ichigo's face, that shit-eating grin back on his face. "What?" He yelled over the blasting noise.

"I said," Ichigo hollered back, turning down the so-called music to a less headache-inducing level before he dropped his voice again. "Turn it down, you're gonna blow out the speakers, not to mention my eardrums."

"Party pooper," Renji teased as he settled back in the seat, his long legs propped up on the dashboard while he drummed his knees along with the music, continuing to sing along.

Ichigo watched his lover out the corner of his eye for a moment, frowning a bit. He knew that Renji was excited about his agreeing to go to the club with him, but did he have to act so... Jubilant? Maybe it sounded girly, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit hurt that Renji seemed to not have a care in the world at the same time as his younger boyfriend (Oh God, now Renji had him saying that word) was falling to pieces on the inside, just barely able to keep the internal cracks of his heart from showing externally. Wasn't there a part of the redhead that was going to miss him, even the smallest piece of his heart that would break when he left Ichigo behind? He began to wonder if maybe he wouldn't, that it possibly didn't hurt him as much as it did Ichigo.

Maybe he was just being a stupid, immature kid that had fallen helplessly in love too quickly and was now frantically trying to hold on while the older man had simply accepted that it was over now. They'd had their fun over the past three months, but now it was time to say goodbye. He might even be eager to leave, go back home where this strawberry-haired kid, lovesick puppy wasn't hanging on him every second of the day. It was possible Renji's feelings didn't run as deeply as Ichigo's did, being more experienced and having been through this kind of thing many times over. Maybe...

Renji's voice startled Ichigo out of his brooding. "Hey, slow down, here it is," he said with a little too much excitement for Ichigo's taste, pointing to a large white building with a pink neon sign that read _Evolution_.

_Seriously, pink? _Ichigo mused to himself as he pulled into the large parking lot around the side of the building, driving around for a minute before finding one of the last spots. Well, it certainly looked to be a popular place, but no wonder, Karakura Town wasn't exactly known for it's nightlife, especially such places that catered to a more diverse crowd. Come to think of it, Ichigo didn't really know how large of a gay community Karakura had, but judging by all the cars and the line of people that curled around the side of the building onto the sidewalk, it was bigger than he expected.

"Well, here we are," Renji chirped, surveying the outside of the building and the crowd waiting to get inside, then he looked over at Ichigo. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Ichigo took a deep breath, fingering the fake ID in his pocket with a lick of his lips as he narrowed his eyes in determination. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Renji laughed as he gave him a companionable slap on the back. "You sound like we're going into battle. But, all right then, let's go."

Ichigo watched the red pineapple climb out of the car, stretching his long limbs. A few of the people in line glanced over to see the new arrivals, and Ichigo couldn't help the pang of possessive jealousy he felt when he saw some of the guys leer at Renji while licking their lips.

Yeah, he didn't doubt that attempting to keep the drunken masses of attractive gay men from pawing all over his gorgeous redhead lover would be extremely similar to fighting off hordes of Hollows.

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><p><strong>AN: **Third chapter should be up sometime tonight or tomorrow, I've written a TON past this point but like I said it just seemed like too much to put into a single chapter. I hope you liked it! As always, please review and let me know what you think, I love to hear your feedback. :)

Love,

**Hotaru Nakama**


	3. Evolution

**A/N: **Finally, we've reached the club! Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding while I figure out the workings of , I apologize for any mishaps I've had that have caused any inconvenience. For the next chapter, the boys FINALLY consummate their fiery burning passions. Mwuahaha. Just a reminder, I don't own Renji or Ichigo or the Bleach universe, just this story and the plotline. Enjoy!

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><p>They didn't have to wait very long in line before it started moving, thankfully, because Ichigo was in danger of making a few guys eat his fist as they flirtatiously chatted up Renji despite the fact that Ichigo was standing right there, holding the redhead's hand. Seriously, didn't they know better than to hit on someone when their significant other was in the direct vicinity? Renji had graciously rejected the invitations to exchange numbers, which made Ichigo feel a little better, but he was still put off by the incident. He continued to glare daggers into the back of the blond man in the pink, see-through mesh shirt and acid-washed jeans who had batted his pretty green eyes at Renji as they made their way forward toward the entrance of the club, Renji's big hand on his back gently pushing him forward.<p>

Finally the doors came into view behind the long red velvet rope blocking them off along with the two burly, stern-looking bouncers checking people's identification before they went inside. Ichigo stuck his hand back on his pocket, clinging to the small white card like he would Zangetsu in a battle, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Alright, let's see some ID," one of the bouncer's boomed, his enormous arms crossed over his wide chest.

Renji and some of the other guys near them flashed their ID, allowing the bodyguards to inspect them before they nodded in acceptance, opening the rope to allow the group through. Surprisingly, neither of them gave Ichigo a passing glance despite the fact that he was the only one who hadn't produced a form of valid identification, probably not seeing him in the gaggle of taller, older men. Renji grinned widely at him as if they'd just gotten away with the biggest hijinks of all time, pulling Ichigo inside by the hand.

Although the outside of _Evolution _wasn't much to look at, once inside the establishment it was clear that it was made to be one of the swankier clubs in Karakura, not like the dingy sports bar dives on the other side of town where Ichigo's house was. The large space was bathed in red light, giving it a sexy, inferno-like atmosphere. A stage was set up on the farthest back wall for live entertainment, plush couches and comfy-looking armchairs off to the left side, the well stocked wet bar on the right, leaving the rest of the space in the middle open for dancing. The floor glowed with LED lights, alternating pink and white in a checkerboard pattern. A mass of hard, sweaty bodies moved together like the waves of the ocean to the pounding rhythm of the music, swaying and bumping and grinding. People crowded around the bar, yelling out to the bartenders in black, fitted wife-beaters and tight jeans, taking body shots off each other and toasting their debauchery. Others used the couches to get even more friendly with significant others or first-time acquaintances until a bouncer came over to break the make-out sessions up, pointing them in the direction of a doorway hidden by a heavy, black curtain. Ichigo wondered briefly what exactly was hiding back there before he decided that it was probably best that he didn't find out.

Yeah, he definitely felt as if he'd just fallen down the rabbit hole.

"Holy shit, Ichi, look at this place! It's even more amazing than I imagined!" Renji gushed, squeezing Ichigo around the waist tightly from behind while he took in the sights and sounds around him like an excited puppy. "What do ya wanna do first? Go shred it on the dance floor or grab a drink first?"

"I want to go home," Ichigo replied glumly as he pulled away from Renji's embrace, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched the singer onstage gyrating suggestively against his group of all-male backup dancers, eliciting several cat-calls and wolf-whistles from the audience as he strutted flamboyantly across the stage. _Renji would probably be the first one to try and stick yen into those tight little black shorts if he were in the front row, _he thought with a scowl.

"We just got here!" Renji argued, frowning deeply at his teen lover. Try as he might to have patience with Ichigo, the strawberry's attitude was about to get on the older redhead's _last _nerve. Why did he have to make it so difficult? Couldn't he recognize that Renji was just trying to make things a little better? He was upset enough about being forced to leave the boy he loved to go back to a life that while he couldn't say he didn't care about in many ways, paled in comparison to Ichigo when it came to importance. The fact that Ichigo resisted him at every turn wasn't making it any easier, although he couldn't really be angry with the boy since he shared his resentment for their forced separation.

"Come on," he said firmly in a tone that meant there was no room for argument while taking hold of Ichigo's elbow and starting to drag him along, his grip tight but not enough to bruise. "You need some liquid courage."

Ichigo sighed in frustration but didn't argue further, allowing the redhead to pull him through the writhing sea of bodies to the bar where he let out a loud whistle to get the a bartender's attention. Ichigo's mouth fell open when a young man with chin length raven hair appeared in front of them from behind the bar, his sapphire eyes unframed by the usual thin-wire specs.

"Ishida?" He exclaimed as he stared in shock at his long-time classmate friend.

Uryu looked equally as stunned to see them, looking from Ichigo to Renji and back. "Kurosaki? Abarai? W-What are you doing here?" He stammered with his cheeks flaming red, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well, it's my birthday so we -" Renji began to explain before Ichigo cut him off.

"More importantly," He said as his eyes narrowed on his school chum. "How can you work here? You're not twenty-one..."

"Nobody here knows that!" Uryu hissed in a tone that made Ichigo promptly snap his jaw shut. "It's just for some extra cash so I don't need to get a weekly allowance from Ryuken anymore, I'm sick of the guilt trips every time I ask to borrow fifty yen."

"I totally hear you, buddy," He nodded, putting his hands up in a sign of understanding, then he added in a lower tone. "By the way, it's not 'Kurosaki'..." He slid the fake ID across the counter to Uryu, a light smirk on his lips.

"Ah, of course, _Murakami-san_," Uryu smirked back with a little wink. "Well then, what can I get for you two?"

Renji opened his wallet and dropped a few large yen bills on the bar top. "A bottle of your best sake and two shot glasses."

Uryu smiled and nodded as he walked to the back wall to retrieve what Renji asked for, while Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise once again. "Shit, Ren! Where'd you get all that cash?"

"Taichou has been paying me a pretty kan since I've been here on this data-collecting mission, probably because he's so happy I'm out of his noble hair," Renji snorted, then nodded his thanks in Uryu's direction when he deposited the bottle of sake with two shot glasses in front of him and Ichigo.

"'Data-collecting mission', yeah, right," Ichigo scoffed, watching Renji pop the cork on the bottle and pour a small amount into both glasses. "Have you even done anything for that?"

"I've sent thoroughly detailed, informative reports back to Soul Society on a weekly basis, thank you very much," Renji answered in a mock haughty tone, sticking his nose in the air, then raised his glass to Ichigo. "Anyway, to our first night at _Evolution, _and to my Ichi – ahem, _Daisuke, _for making these past three months the most incredible, fun time of my life."

"Sentimental dumbass," Ichigo teased while trying to mask the emotion that threatened to surface, but raised his glass up as well.

"Thanks for ruining my toast, asshole," Renji chuckled as they clinked their glasses together before he threw back his drink.

Ichigo laughed softly and gave him a crooked smile, then looked down at his small glass of sake as if debating it. Truth be told, he'd never really drank before, and not knowing how it would affect him made him nervous. He didn't want to make a total ass of himself and end up a sloppy, drunken mess.

He glanced over at Uryu momentarily, smirking a bit as he watched Uryu flirt with a tall, dark-haired patron who looked to be quite a few years older than him. It didn't really surprise him since the Quincy came out to Ichigo when they were around thirteen years old, as well as confessed to him that his first love was none other than the strawberry himself. Ichigo took the news in stride, perhaps because deep inside he suspected that he was also different, though at that point in his life he wasn't ready to face the reality of his own sexual preference, so nothing came of it, but their friendship grew stronger because of Uryu's admittance. It took real guts to tell your best friend you were in love with them, something Ichigo would find out years later when forced to fess up to his feelings for Renji. He reminded the Quincy of how much courage he had back then whenever Uryu started to doubt himself.

"Come on, bottoms up, baby," Renji interrupted Ichigo's thoughts once again. "There's a little kick to it, but you'll get used to it."

Ichigo cleared his throat, inspecting the clear liquid in the glass, then gave Renji another smirk. "Alright, but I don't want you to complain if you have to carry my ass outta here because you pressured me into a drunken stupor."

Renji shook his head and grinned at his young lover. "You're too much, Ichi. Don't worry, I'd carry your drunken ass anywhere, anytime."

Ichigo gave him a crooked smile, took a deep breath and downed his drink in one gulp, followed by the most disgusted expression he could muster. "Ugh, this is terrible! Tastes like shit!"

"Oh, trust me, in a few minutes it will be the best thing you've ever tasted," Renji snickered as he poured them another shot.

For once Renji was right, about twenty minutes and numerous shots later the taste of the sake was slowly growing on the teen, besides he felt much more relaxed than when they'd come in. He tapped his foot on the leg of the bar stool and shimmied his shoulders along with the music, quietly singing the words to the cover song the band was playing. He even allowed Renji to steal a few kisses, a public display of affection that would usually make him feel self-conscious.

"Let's go dance, baby!" Renji declared as he stood up a bit unsteadily, beginning to pull Ichigo up with him.

The strawberry pulled away from him, his words a bit slurred already. "I don't fuckin' dance, you know that."

"Aww, please, baby! I wanna dance!" Renji begged, still trying to pull the substitute shinigami off his bar stool, pouting the way he usually did to get what he wanted from the teen.

"Maybe in a minute. You go ahead, I'll watch," Ichigo waved him off again, grabbing for the bottle to pour himself another shot of sake.

Renji lifted a tattooed eyebrow at him, glanced out on the dance floor, then back to his lover. "Are you... sure?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded, swigging down the liquor before he leaned in for a firm, slow kiss. "Yeah, go on," he reassured the older man.

Renji chewed his lip thoughtfully, then finally nodded as he gave Ichigo one more kiss before he got up and headed out to the floor. Ichigo watched as the masses of swaying, endlessly moving bodies seemed to part like the Red Sea as Renji cleared himself a spot on the dance floor, starting to move languidly with the music. His cinnamon eyes followed the redhead's every movement, transfixed by the sway of his hips as he raised his arms over his head, his crimson locks spilling in front of his face. As Ichigo expected, several men flocked over and encircled him, all vying for a turn to dance with this exotic, masculine beauty. Renji was polite to all of his admirers, used to the attention from males and females alike, but he kept a respectable distance, casting his smoldering garnet eyes back toward his lover in a searing 'come hither' stare.

The strawberry couldn't remember the exact moment he'd gotten up from the bar to make his way over to the crimson-haired shinigami, but suddenly he found himself submerged in the crowd, shifting and nudging his way past the other dancers to get to his lover. Renji didn't so much grin as _leer _at the orange-haired teenager, fought back a possessive snarl as he moved over and pulled Ichigo up against him from behind, the shorter boy going willingly and started to sway and rub himself back against Renji in time with the music.

Ichigo's head fell back on Renji's shoulder as he let his arms reach back to snake around the redhead's tattooed neck, his slender fingers ghosting over the errant black lines before sliding back and tangling in thick strands of ruby. He smiled when he felt rather than heard Renji's growled moan rumble against his back, then responded with his own deep groan as Renji tightened his grip, pulling Ichigo back into the cradle of his own hips as his mouth ghosted up his neck to his ear, his wet, hot tongue flicking out across the lobe. Renji silently guided Ichigo to spread his legs, canting his knee between the teenager's thighs as he thrust and ground his hips against Ichigo's ass. Instantly understanding the unspoken command, Ichigo bent down slightly to rub his crotch against Renji's knee, feeling himself grow hard, rewarded with a sharp nip to his earlobe.

Their melded deeper into each other as they danced, back to chest, thigh to thigh, until they moved as one body, one heartbeat throbbing in time with the music under the dim scarlet lights. The alcohol created a soft, pleasant buzzing in Ichigo's head, making him feel light and free, but he was still aware of how turned on he was getting by dancing with Renji, soon realizing that he was dangerously close to coming right there on the dance floor, and cursed himself for wearing such tight jeans even if Renji loved how they showed off his ass. Renji was clearly in the same condition as he was, both of them sweaty and panting, so finally he gave a warning tug of crimson in askance if they could take it easy for a minute so he didn't make a fool of himself and come in his pants like a virgin.

His older lover clearly needed to cool it down as well because he immediately disengaged himself from Ichigo and moved his lover around to face him, pulling the berry into his arms with a sheepish, apologetic look. Ichigo just smiled at him in a wordless 'thank you' as he pressed his face against the damp skin of Renji's neck while his arms went back around his thick middle. As they simply rocked back and forth on their feet, Ichigo closed his eyes and let himself relax in Renji's strong, lean-muscled arms, getting lost in the music with the soft thud of their heartbeats slowing to a normal cadence in unison. Suddenly he pitched forward as Renji's body was yanked away from him, stumbling forward and bumping into the surrounding bodies. He finally got his bearings, muttering his apologies to who he'd bumped into and whipped around to see what the hell was going on.

The same midnight haired guy that Ichigo saw flirt with Uryu at the bar was now grinding and thrusting against Renji, his lanky arms wound around his neck with his fingers buried in his hair, gazing up at Renji with bright green eyes, licking his lips seductively. Ichigo didn't stick around to watch the disgusting scene in front of him but instead bolted for the door, the image of Renji's hands squeezing the fucker's ass burned into his mind no matter how hard he fought to push it out. He dimly saw Uryu behind the bar counter with a look that was as horrified as Ichigo felt, but he didn't stop to talk to his old friend. Sick, he suddenly felt like he was about to be sick. The sake he'd downed earlier sloshed inside his stomach, making it churn and lurch as he frantically looked around for a bathroom to rid himself of the alcohol. His head throbbed with a dull ache, the room seemed substantially smaller than when they'd first entered and his insides felt like fire. He needed to get out _right the fuck now_.

Renji yelped in surprise as he was yanked roughly by the arm, spun around to face a raven haired, jade green-eyed man who apparently didn't know how to keep his damn hands to himself. He groped blindly to stop himself from falling over the dizziness that swept over him when he was twisted around, releasing another cry of anger when he realized he'd accidentally grabbed the guy's ass. He pulled away sharply, glaring at the fucker with daggers in his eyes.

"Motherfucker, get your goddamned hands off me!" Renji screamed in rage as he shoved the guy who was too drunk to even stay upright as he tumbled backwards and fell onto the floor, scattering some of the other dancers who cursed and glared at him in disgust. Before the idiot even tried to get up Renji looked around, panicked, when he realized he couldn't see Ichigo anymore. "Ichi! Shit, Ichi!"

He shoved his way carelessly through the masses of people, not even paying attention to their disgruntled protests at the disturbance of his large, bulking form charging past them all. His head darted back and forth, searching desperately for the strawberry-haired teen. Finally he saw a flash of bright orange streak past in his peripheral vision and took off again, calling Ichigo's name frantically.

_Shit, I'm not going to cry, I am not crying, _Ichigo thought wildly as he ran down the first hallway he found, just wanting to be as far away from the music and people and the horrifying thing he'd seen in the club. The humiliation burned in his chest as he sniffled, wiping at his eyes furiously and glaring at them in disgust when they came down wet. _I'm **not** crying... Fuck, fuck, fuck..._

"Ichigo! Ichi, please, wait!" Renji's terrified voice made him stop dead in his tracks even though his mind screamed for him to keep running. All the same he stopped, trying to make himself breathe normally as he wiped at his eyes again. The redhead came up behind him and started to put his hands on Ichigo's shoulders. "Baby, I-"

"Fucker!" Ichigo turned sharply and shoved Renji's chest as hard as he could, making the shinigami gasp and trip backward. Ichigo clenched his fists at his side, his blood boiling in his veins. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard? I come here because you fucking begged me even though I didn't want to, now you're grabbing some other guy's ass right in front of me? What the _fuck _is wrong with you? Don't you even give a shit that I'm fucking torn up inside all because of you, because you're leaving and I don't know what the hell I'm going to do when you're gone? But you, you don't even have the goddamn decency to _pretend _like you're hurting, because it doesn't make a fucking difference to you, does it, Renji? You don't even care that after tomorrow we won't be together anymore. You'll probably fucking be happy that you won't be tied down to such a stupid, helpless, lovesick idiot anymore!"

Renji stared at Ichigo with his mouth slightly fallen open, dumbstruck. He stepped forward again, closer to the strawberry, grabbing for his wrist. "Ichigo, hold on, that's not -" He started, the pain of Ichigo's words tearing a hole right through his heart. He wanted to cry himself when he saw Ichigo's eyes shimmered with tears he wouldn't allow himself to shed, his breath coming out in ragged bursts.

Ichigo yanked himself away again. "Oh, just fucking spare me the pity lecture, Renji! I get it, this was all some big joke to you, fucking around with me for the past three months. Well, fuck you! If you're gonna go, just fucking go already, you don't have to wait until tomorrow. If you don't give a shit, then I don't either!" He started to run again, just wanting to get away from Renji, from everything, and hide somewhere that he could wallow in his despair.

Large, rough hands grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him back against the wall hard enough that his head cracked as it connected. "Get a fucking grip, Ichigo, and shut the hell up!" Renji roared in his face, seething. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

"Oh, the fuck I don't, Renji! Get you're damn hands off me!" Ichigo raged back at him, twisting in his grip like an angry cat.

Renji just pushed him against the wall harder. "Not until you shut up and listen to me! You're damn right about one thing, you're a stupid kid and you have _no idea_ just how wrong you are. I have not just been fucking around with you, Ichi, and it _does _hurt that I can't stay here with you, you haven't the slightest clue what it's like for me to know how much this is hurting you, how much it's hurting us _both_ and not be able to do a goddamned thing about it. Do you know how fucking worthless that makes me feel? I'm supposed to be the one who takes care of you, who protects you, but I can't do that when it comes to this, because I can't even protect _myself _from the pain..."

Ichigo had stopped struggling finally, just staring silently at the redhead as he went on. His brandy-colored eyes stung with salty tears again.

"I don't know when you decided that you're the only one who gets to be heartbroken over this and that I need to be the strong one, but it's not fuckin' fair. You want to know why I wanted to come here tonight? Because I thought I could make you feel better, so I wouldn't have to see the pain in your eyes that has come up over the past few days every time either of us talk about me leaving, but you know what? I'm done with playing your little game of denial and going along with you ignoring your feelings, because I feel like shit, too! Damnit, Ichi, don't you know how it's going to kill me to say goodbye to you? Don't you know how fucking miserable I'll be in Soul Society, just wishing I could still be here? Don't you know that... That I..." He trailed off, his voice choking up. "That I'd do anything to take away every hurt and every pain you've ever had, to make you feel nothing but happiness for the rest of your life? That I'd give up everything that I ever thought mattered to me just to give you whatever it is that you want? Don't you know that I love you more than anything else in my entire, pathetic life?"

Ichigo whimpered as he tried to press closer to Renji, grabbing him and pulling him into a deep, hard, full kiss. He couldn't say anything that would compare to everything Renji had just told him, so he communicated his answer with searching lips and a hot, wet tongue that trailed over Renji's bottom lip and then hungrily invaded his mouth. He ran his hands down Renji's back, feeling the silky strands of his hair, then pushed up his shirt and let his hands wander inside over black and tan skin.

Renji groaned into his mouth, returning the kisses eagerly as he sucked on Ichigo's tongue and nipped at his lips, one hand curled in soft orange as the other slid down to the buldge in Ichigo's jeans, cupping and rubbing his cock gently through heavy denim with their mouths still fused together.

"Wait," Ichigo moaned as he pulled back slightly, glancing up and down the hallway. "N-Not here. C-Can we go s-somewhere else?"

Renji nodded silently as he took Ichigo's hand, glancing up and down the hallway before leading Ichigo down a little further to a door that was slightly ajar. Renji listened for a moment but heard no voices, so he pulled Ichigo inside before he shut and locked the door behind them.

"What is this place?" Ichigo asked, surveying the small room they'd found themselves in. There was a couch, a loveseat, two chairs, and a lamp along with a mini-fridge, sink, and microwave off to the other side. "Looks like some kind of staff room..."

"Yeah, probably. But, it'll do, I guess," Renji shrugged before he attacked Ichigo's lips again, pushing him over and down onto one of the long, black leather couches. Their mouths fought, kissing, sucking, biting as they wrestled to get their shirts off, Renji kissing and nipping down Ichigo's soft throat as he started working on getting the strawberry's belt loosened as Ichigo attacked his own, yanking it open and pulling it off with nimble fingers. The redhead spread kisses down Ichigo's toned chest, sucking on a perky, tan nipple.

Ichigo whined, his back arching up from the couch. "Oh God, Renji. Fuck me, please, please, fuck me," he begged softly as Renji pushed his jeans and boxers down, hissing at the feel of cool air hitting swollen, hot skin.

"Oh, believe me, baby, I plan to fuck you all night long when we get home. Not here, though," Renji murmured as his lips traveled over his chest to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. "But, get on your belly anyway."

"Fuck, yeah," Ichigo moaned, immediately turning onto his stomach, anticipating the feel of that wet, hot tongue exploring his most intimate place like it had done this morning.

"Squeeze your legs together as tight as you can, " Renji instructed as he pushed Ichigo's jeans down to his calves, using them to trap his legs together.

Ichigo frowned to himself in confusion, but he was too hard and horny to argue, so he obeyed and pressed his thighs together tightly. He panted softly as he waited to see what Renji had in mind, listening to the soft rustle of material as Renji slid down his own pants, then gasped softly when he felt Renji's weight settle on top of him, the older man bracing himself up with his arms so he didn't crush Ichigo into the cushions.

"R-Ren, I thought y-you said..." Ichigo stammered, blushing furiously. He was going to fuck him here, now, without any preparation or lube?

"I know, shh, baby," Renji whispered as he pressed soft kisses onto Ichigo's neck. He nudged himself between Ichigo's tight thighs and thrust gently. "A little tighter."

Ichigo whimpered and squeezed tighter, gasping and moaning when Renji thrust again, slightly harder, the swollen head of his cock bumping against his balls. Ichigo bucked upward, but Renji's hands pressed into his back told him to keep still, so he did. He turned his head as the redhead leaned down for a side-mouthed kiss, continuing to push himself between Ichigo's thighs, just under his cheeks, his feral moans and growls making Ichigo squirm. Instead of being a substitute for sex like Renji intended the act suddenly became an experience all its own, finally letting Ichigo rock back against him as he pumped his hips against him, hitting the soft sac beneath his shaft like he would his prostate. Soon they were both moaning and panting in ecstasy, Ichigo's face hidden in his arms to muffle the sounds as Renji leaned down to stifle his against the nape of Ichigo's neck, both of them soon feeling close.

"Renji, oh God, fuck, please, touch me, please, please touch my cock, it _hurts, _Ren, please," Ichigo mewled, his head falling back as Renji nipped and sucked at his neck, his hips working tirelessly.

Renji grunted as he shifted to be able to reach Ichigo's cock, struggling to focus on pumping the strawberry's erection when he was so overcome with all the sensations, the feeling of thrusting against Ichigo like he was fucking him, like he wanted to do so badly he ached for it just as badly as Ichigo was. But he didn't, rolling his hips in slow, controlled movements, relishing in the feeling of Ichigo's soft skin pressing around his thick, hardened, leaking cock. Renji moaned as he pushed against the tightly drawn sac of Ichigo's balls, feeling the precome leaking from the teen's cock and dribbling onto the head of his own. _Wet_, Renji thought dazedly, _He's getting me wet just like he will when I... Oh, shit... _He groaned deep in his chest, twisting and tugging roughly at the berry's weeping, throbbing cock.

Ichigo released a high-pitched, keening whine as he came, bucking and convulsing wildly as his cock twitched pulsed, spilling milky, hot seed onto his fingers. Renji milked him of every last drop, then smeared his own cock with the liquid as if lubricating himself, then resumed his thrusting, sliding himself back and forth between Ichigo's cheeks, still held together just right even when the rest of his body has gone limp. Such a good boy.

"God, you feel so good... Fuck!" Renji buried his teeth in Ichigo's shoulder with a strangled yell as his body tensed up and bucked of its own accord as hot white fluid exploded from him onto Ichigo's backside. He finally released the skin of Ichigo's shoulder, groaning and shivering as he burrowed into his neck.

They went down together, sated, Renji's weight flattening Ichigo's humming body into the couch. Nothing could be heard in the room for several minutes except their panted, heavy breathing, until Ichigo spoke up, his voice weak and quiet, small like a child's.

"I – I'm sorry, Ren, it's just that..."

"Hey, you don't need to apologize, I understand -" Renji started, but Ichigo cut him off, determined to tell Renji what he really felt, what he'd kept inside all this time.

"No, you don't, I acted like a complete asshole and I know it. But the thing is, ever since I lost my mom I've... had this fear of losing everyone that I love, which is why I've always fought so hard to protect all the people in my life, because I'm scared if I don't in one way or another they'll all leave me and never come back, like she did. I was scared you'd go back to Soul Society and decide it's not worth it to be with some kid from the Human World that you don't even get to be with all the time and I'd never see you again, and I was just feeling all screwed up inside. But I know I should have put more trust in you and how you feel for me, and I'm sorry that I doubted you."

At some point they'd shifted around to lay side by side, Ichigo's head up on the arm of the couch with his arms around Renji who curled around his body warmly. Renji sighed as he nuzzled Ichigo's neck, his arms tightening around the boy.

"Shit, Ichi, I wish you would have told me all of that a lot sooner, it's been driving me crazy trying to figure out what exactly is wrong and what I can do to fix it. You know I can't help the fact that I live in Soul Society, I've a duty to my taichou and my squad that I need to hold myself to, but you should also know that no matter what happens, eventually I'll come back again. It might not be as soon as either of us would like, but I'll always find my way back to you, and you can definitely count on that, baby."

Ichigo swallowed around the lump in his throat, gazing down into pools of bright garnet. "You promise?"

Renji smiled, brushing damp orange spikes out of Ichigo's wine-colored eyes. "I swear on my life, nothing will ever keep me away from you, baby. When it comes right down to it, you're pretty damn irresistible."

Ichigo really _smiled _for the first time since that morning, making Renji feel like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He gazed up at his lover, loving the glint of mirth in those cinnamon eyes. "Don't I know it," Ichigo said with a tilt of his head.

Renji chuckled and rubbed the back of Ichigo's head with his hand, planting another kiss on his lips. Ichigo returned the kiss and smiled, rubbing Renji's side in return.

They finally cleaned themselves off with a box of Kleenex they found in the staff room, then straightened out their clothes and walked back to the main club hand in hand to dance and enjoy each other for as long as the night would allow.


	4. First Times and Fangs

**A/N: **Dun-dun-dun! Here it is, the fourth and final chapter of "I Love You, Idiot". I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get this up, I had surgery a few weeks ago, then I found out a few of my family members are sick, so I've been dealing with a lot of life as of late. Plus, when I finally got back to writing it these two pesky troublemakers just wouldn't cooperate with me, and I wanted everything to be perfect for their first time. Anyway, I hope I've made it worth your wait!

* * *

><p>The pair finally exited the club several hours later, stumbling out into the cool darkness, talking and laughing drunkenly as they called goodbye to some acquaintances they made in the club. Ichigo's cell phone buzzed against his hip with an unheard voicemail, so he fished it from his pocket to listen. As he pressed the button to call his voice mailbox, he saw it was 2:30 AM.<p>

"Ichi-gooooooo!" Isshin separated the syllables of Ichigo's name in his typical whiny fashion, making his son cringe at the volume and tone of his voice, like nails on a chalkboard especially with a sake-induced headache. "This is your father, why don't you pick up your phone? Oh well, I just wanted to let you know that Ryuken needs an extra on-call doctor at the hospital tonight, so I'll likely still be gone when you come home. That is _if _you're not at Renji's apartment yet again doing things you probably don't want dear old dad to know about," he let out a suggestive chuckle, and Ichigo had to resist the urge to throw the device against the wall. "Anyway, I made sure your sisters had dinner before I left and then dropped them off at their friend's house, so you don't have to worry about that. Gotta go, son! See you later, Ichi-gooo!" _Click._

Ichigo deleted the message quickly, grumbling. "I freaking hate that goat-faced psycho..."

"Huh?" Renji asked, looking over at him.

"Nothin', just my dad," he mumbled as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "He's working late tonight, and my sisters are spending the night with a friend. Would you want to... sleep at my house?"

Renji glanced over at the orange-haired teen, smirking like he wanted to make some kind of remark, but the vulnerable nervousness in the teen's voice stopped him from teasing. "Sure, but let me call us a cab, I think I drank a bit too much to drive you home," he said as he dug his own cell phone from his jacket.

Ichigo nodded. "Alright, the car should be okay here for the night, it's not like this is a bad part of town. I'll call the dealership tomorrow and have someone come pick it up."

"Sounds like a plan, baby," Renji nodded, settling down on the curb and tucking Ichigo under his arm as the berry curled against him while he called for a taxi. He smiled as Ichigo snuggled closer to him, almost purring like a happy kitten when Renji affectionately scratched the back of his neck.

The canary yellow taxi finally pulled up to the sidewalk and the two stood up, climbing into the backseat as Ichigo gave the driver his address. The cabbie gave a hidden smile in the rear view mirror as he watched the orange-headed teen and red-haired man lean into each other, closing their eyes for a little nap as they were driven home.

"Here we are, boys," the somewhat elderly man alerted them when he parked beside Ichigo's dark, quiet house.

Both of them yawned and stretched, blinking owlishly before Renji paid the driver and lifted a sleepy Ichigo into his arms to carry him into the house.

"Don't hafta carry me," Ichigo mumbled against Renji's warm shoulder, although he didn't struggle to get down.

"I know, but I want to," Renji smiled in the darkness as he adjusted Ichigo to be able to unlock and open the door, then shut and relocked it before he carried the strawberry upstairs to his bedroom, pushing the slightly ajar door open with his knee before he made his way over to the bed.

The teen felt himself being laid down on the familiar warmth and softness of his bed and gazed up at the man above him with half-lidded cinnamon-brown eyes. He fought not to make a sound of protest when he felt Renji let go of him and began to move away, grabbing desperately for his wrist. Renji was back over him in an instant, burgundy eyes framed by tattooed eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"Baby, what's the matter, are you okay? Are you gonna be sick, need me to get you into the bathroom or grab a bucket?" He asked worriedly, smoothing Ichigo's hair back. He suddenly reminded the boy of his mother, not that he was in any way feminine, but how she would take care of him whenever he got sick as a kid.

Ichigo's heart clenched even tighter, but he managed to shake his head as he clung to Renji's hand, his eyes searching his face in the moonlit darkness of the room, pleadingly. "Please, Ren..." He whispered, flushing at the slight tremble in his voice. He tugged on the man's arm, trying to pull him closer. "Please."

"Ichi, I..." He trailed off, gazing into those brandy orbs so full of need, just begging for him. "Tell me what you need." He already knew, of course, but he wanted to hear the boy say it before he acted, to be sure he wouldn't make any mistakes.

"I want – I need..." He stammered, adverting his eyes away from Renji as he bit his lip, looking almost scared or ashamed to admit it, but the older man tucked his fingers under his chin and forced him to look back up at him.

"Please, baby, tell me," Renji murmured gently, brushing his thumb over Ichigo's bottom lip.

"_You_," Ichigo whimpered, softly kissing the calloused thumb as it roamed over his lip, rubbing his face against his large, warm hand. He continued spreading little kisses across Renji's palm, then each finger. His voice was so weak and strained that he sounded as if he was going to cry again. "I want you, need you... I-Inside me... Right now."

Renji's intake of breath was more like a gasp at Ichigo's words, then released in a soft moan as he leaned down to press their mouths together while settling more on top of the teen. Ichigo slowly wound his arms around Renji's neck, opening his mouth willingly when the older man's tongue sought entrance. For a moment they simply kissed in the pale moonlight streaming in through the small window, their tongues wrestling, searching, intertwining, lips moving languidly as teeth nibbled, both lost in the sensation of contact. Somehow of all the impassioned, hot, steamy kisses they'd shared, this one topped all.

Ichigo was the first to break away, gasping for air and flushed, tilting his head back as Renji's mouth slipped from Ichigo's lips to his jaw then down to his throat, kissing and nipping slowly over the peaches and cream skin to the pulse-point that pounded so hard Ichigo was almost positive Renji could see it through his skin. He let out another strangled cry as Renji bit down and sucked, feeling his heart race even faster.

He tugged at Renji's gray shirt impatiently. "_Ren_.."

"And everyone thinks _I'm _the impatient one," The redhead laughed softly, though his words came out more husky than joking.

"I've had enough patience, now _come on_," Ichigo urged while pulling off and discarding Renji's shirt on the floor, then reached for the belt on his jeans. His fingers trembled and fumbled in his hurry.

The redhead put his hands on top of the strawberry's to steady them. "Okay, baby, take it easy," he murmured. "We don't need to rush."

The teen strawberry released his grip on Renji's belt and looked down with a quiet sigh, his face almost looking ashamed. "S-Sorry..." He whispered.

Renji sighed as he sat forward, pressing their foreheads together. "Stop apologizing, baby, you haven't done anything wrong. I just meant let's take it slow, okay? Here, lay back and let me take care of you."

The strawberry's lips curved into a soft smile as he nodded, sharing a warm kiss with his redheaded lover. "Okay," he agreed softly, laying back on the bed and trying to relax, watching as Renji temporarily stood up to undress before he crawled back over him.

The shinigami's deft fingers set to work undressing the teen, and within moments both men's sets of clothing were in a jumbled pile on the floor. Renji's mouth traveled down Ichigo's neck to his chest, leaving no inch of skin un-sucked, un-kissed or un-nibbled.

_Okay, Abarai, _he mentally lectured himself. _This it is, now don't you even **dare **fuck this up. I don't care that what you've done with him up 'til now has been every kind of lewd, crude and dirty, or that you've told him you're going to fuck him until his bones rattle, right now you're going to be sweet and gentle and worship him like he's a fucking Jizo statue. You're going to show him what it means to be truly loved from the crown of his orange head to the soles of his feet and make him feel pleasure like he's never known before, and only **after **you've done that you can pound him into the mattress until the sun comes up. Got it? For the love of God, Abarai, do not fuck this up..._

He closed his eyes, a low moan sounding in the back of his throat as he suckled a hard, dusky nub, swirling his tongue around it while enjoying the way Ichigo arched up against him with a deep growl of satisfaction. Renji soon released the little pebble, now coated and glistening with saliva, as he kissed over the teen's hard chest to the other side, giving his other nipple the same treatment. The teen substitute shinigami groaned, his fingers tangled in thick ruby hair and giving a sharp tug, urging the redhead fukutaichou down lower. Renji grunted softly, feeling his cock twitch as heat started to pool in his groin while he pressed his hips into the boy's and ground their lengths together, making Ichigo gasp and let out a soft cry above him.

Renji continued down the teen's lean, muscular, warm body, dipping his long tongue into the crevice of his navel and sucking heavily.

Ichigo cried out again with a hard shudder while giving Renji's hair another, harder yank. "F-Fuck! N-Need your m-mouth on me... Please..." He begged softly, panting now.

"Aw, so polite even when you're all hot and bothered," Renji crooned against the soft, flat plain of Ichigo's belly. "You're too damn cute, Ichi."

Ichigo opened his mouth, probably to protest that he was '_not cute, dammit_', but Renji cleverly wrapped his lips around the head of the teen's cock and swirled his tongue, poking into the slit and tasting the salty pre-come as it rushed into his mouth, stealing away the strawberry's words that morphed instead to a ragged shout as he writhed beneath him. Renji moaned around the heated, thick length in his mouth, beginning to move up and down while sucking heavily, running his tongue flat against the pulsing underside vein, making the most obscene, erotic wet noises that Ichigo had ever heard. After pumping his head up and down a few times, paying special attention to the swollen, reddened head, the shinigami took a deep breath in through his nose and plunged back down, letting Ichigo's cock slide all the way into the back of his throat.

Ichigo's sanity was instantly stolen as Renji deep-throated his cock, swallowing around him to make the the space around Ichigo's length even tighter, and within minutes the teen yelled out his release as his cock twitched and throbbed in Renji's mouth. The red pineapple moaned hungrily as swallowed over and over, drinking every last drop of come until there was nothing left and the boy's now limp member slipped out of his mouth with a wet pop.

Ichigo closed his eyes as he flattened himself against the mattress, panting and trembling as the pleasure surged through him in sharp, little shocks that made him shiver all over. Through the pounding of his heart in his ears, he was vaguely aware of Renji moving off him momentarily, then faintly heard the plastic sound of a lid popping open, something being squirted, and then a snap as whatever it was closed again. He didn't open his eyes until he felt Renji's weight settle back on top of him and something wet brushed over his entrance. He blinked as the redhead's softly grinning face swam back into focus, his slick finger tracing around the blushing, tight pucker, applying just a bit of pressure and then backing off teasingly to lightly squeeze and play with his balls.

Ichigo felt himself instinctively tense, but forced himself to relax and spread his legs a little wider, leaning up to plant a soft kiss on Renji's sharply defined jaw. "Go slow... Okay?"

"You know I will, baby," Renji assured him softly, turning his cheek to give Ichigo a proper, warm kiss on the lips.

With his body still warm and soft from his orgasm the first digit slid in easily past the ring of muscles, though Ichigo still heard a little mewling noise escape from the back of his throat. The older man paused when his finger was in past the knuckle to allow the boy to adjust even though his body was mostly relaxed, knowing a finger still felt a hell of a lot different than a tongue. He pressed kisses over the teen's neck and chest, waiting until he thought he had adjusted enough before he started to pull out again, causing Ichigo to full-out moan.

"Feel okay?" Renji asked, experimentally moving his finger inside the impossibly tight walls.

Ichigo hissed in a breath, slowly releasing it in a soft grunt as his hips lifted upward. "Uh, y-yeah... It just feels a little... Ah! Um, weird, I guess? Like... Mm.."

"Like a finger shoved up your ass?" Renji raised his inked black eyebrows with a smirk. He needed to joke to relieve his own tension, so he could focus on something other than how goddamn nervous he was. _Fuck, __**I'm**__ the experienced one and here I am acting like the anxious virgin... Look at me, my hands are shaking! Ichigo doesn't even seem that nervous... He just looks like he really, really wants me... God, how did I get so damn lucky? Eat your heart out, Ikkaku._

Ichigo stared up at him for a moment as if surprised, then a little, crooked smile graced his features, smoothing out the perpetual scowl lines on his brow. He let out a soft rush of breath that was as close to a laugh as he could manage. "Um, yeah..."

"Don't worry, it won't feel weird in a second," Renji promised as he bent down, tracing his wet, soft tongue around one perky nipple before sucking it back into his mouth, letting his teeth graze over the little nub.

As he teased the teen's nipples, loving the delirious sounds of pleasure his ministrations elicited, he began to gently move his finger in and out, twisting and wiggling slowly before stabbing back in softly, pressing and pushing to open up the constricted passageway, agonizingly slowly.

Ichigo had lied to Renji. The first finger he'd inserted hadn't felt strange, it had actually been, well, really fucking _uncomfortable_. Slightly painful, even, but Renji was trying so hard to be careful and they'd already gone so far that he didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. It was starting to feel better, however, as Ichigo allowed himself to relax as he began to move his hips slowly, meeting every gentle thrust and movement of the exploring digit. He moaned, letting his hands wander down the bulky-muscled, large body above him, pulling the redhead closer and rubbing their cocks back together.

Suddenly Renji's long, thick finger brushed against something inside Ichigo that made him gasp harshly, crying out as he arched his back up into such a sharp point that he thought for a moment he would snap in half as he shuddered deeply, the coil of heat in his groin morphing into a wild burning that spread all down his legs and made his toes curl.

"Renji!" Ichigo gasped, his eyes wide and somewhat glazed over in desire. "I – You – _Shit_, what the hell was _that_?"

"_That_, baby, was the magic little spot known as your prostate," Renji lifted his head to look at Ichigo, his sharp canine teeth splitting his face. "Like it?"

"Oh, _hell _yeah," Ichigo moaned, pushing himself down on Renji's finger, eager to feel that delicious shock of pleasure again. "More, please, Ren. I need more."

Renji nodded, his finger slowing to a stop as he reached back for the lube, coating his middle finger again just to be sure. Once he was satisfied he'd put a sufficient amount on, he slowly eased it inside with the first, again pausing for a moment after to let Ichigo adjust. He continued to work skillfully and gently, working his fingers inside Ichigo, teasing his prostate as he prepared him thoroughly.

By the time he inserted the third finger, Ichigo was painfully hard again, leaking so much that his pre-come dribbled over Renji's wrist up to his forearm. By the fourth, the ginger-haired boy was riding his hand as beads of sweat trickled down his body, crying out and moaning incoherently, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

"Enough," Ichigo finally gritted out through clenched teeth, reaching down to still Renji's pumping fist, his cinnamon eyes almost black and filled with fiery need. "No more fingers, I want _you _inside me now. Come on, Ren, fuck me."

Renji's head snapped up from where he'd been watching himself prepare Ichigo, the boy's words sending a jolt through him straight to his already hard, aching cock. "Say that again."

Ichigo growled softly, wrapping his legs around Renji's waist, pulling him closer with his body. "Fuck me, Renji. Just fuck me, please."

The redhead moaned as a shiver ran down his spine, brushing his lips over Ichigo's temple. "Oh, God, _yes_."

He reached for the bottle of lube again, but Ichigo snatched it up first, squirting out a large amount onto his hand. Renji could have probably lubed up his entire lower torso and still had some to spare with how much Ichigo had.

He smirked, biting his lip to stop a full-on laugh that bubbled in his throat. "You don't need to dump out the whole bottle..."

"Um, excuse me, are you going to stick that in _your_ ass or _mine_?" Ichigo asked, pointing to Renji's bulging, thick erection.

"Well, unless I'm far more talented than even I knew, I would say yours."

"Then _I'll_ decide how much lubrication we need to use, thank you very much," he replied as he tossed the bottle aside, then grabbed Renji's cock and slicked him with rough, forceful strokes.

"Ah!" Renji groaned, resisting the urge to buck into the strawberry's hand. "Careful with that, baby, I didn't get to come like you did."

Ichigo released his grip as guilt washed over his face. "Oh, uh, sorry, I forgot. You want me to...?"

"No, it's okay, I'll be fine," Renji assured him, guiding Ichigo's hand to stroke him a few more times, gently.

"Are you sure? Because I want this to be fair and –"

"Don't worry about it," Renji cut him off, kissing over his neck and shoulder, then whispered against the shell of his ear. "I'd rather come inside you."

Ichigo's cheeks flushed as deeply crimson as Renji's hair and nodded, then settled onto his back while Renji lifted his legs to rest on his shoulders. He gently spread Ichigo apart with one hand, using the other to hold and guide his cock as he nudged forward to press the head of his cock against Ichigo's waiting entrance. He waited a moment before pressing forward slowly, breaching the small pucker before easing the rest of the way into Ichigo with gentle, teasing thrusts of his hips.

Ichigo gasped and clutched Renji's arms tightly, his eyes widening with every inch of Renji's cock that disappeared inside him. When he was fully seated inside the boy he stopped again, their eyes locked on each other the entire time. For a moment the only sound in the room was their heavy, panted breath as their bodies melded into each other, beads of sweat dripping over their nude bodies pressed tightly together. Renji's hands rubbed circles on Ichigo's hips, looking down at the ginger-haired boy as he stared up at him, brandy eyes sort of dazed. He still held Renji's shoulders in a vice grip.

"God, you're so fucking _tight_, Ichi," Renji breathed as he held completely still inside the other's body, his hands traveling over Ichigo's sides in a comforting motion. "Feels so good. Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Ichigo shook his head.

"No, please, talk to me, baby, I need to hear that you're okay. If it hurts I'll pull out and we can go back to fingers, or we could switch positions, or I'll add more lube..." Renji found himself rambling, his words coming out in one long breath that just wouldn't stop. _Oh shit, I've hurt him, nice fucking going, Abarai. This was supposed to be perfect and you ruined it, you big, worthless idiot. God, can't you do anything right? Stupid asshole, dumbass, worthless piece of..._

"_Renji_," Ichigo reprimanded, albeit slightly breathless, cutting off both his words and his self-loathing thoughts. "Shut up, okay? I'm fine, it doesn't hurt, it's only a little uncomfortable. Just give me a minute, all right? And _no more babbling_. Kiss me."

He gave Renji a smile that was reflected in the older man who brought his lips down to the boy's as they connected for a series of slow, warm, open-mouthed kisses. Ichigo stroked the ends of Renji's hair and cradled the back of his neck, as if their roles were reversed and now Ichigo had taken control, soothing Renji instead of the other way around. The gesture both made the older man relax and stung his pride even more as he struggled to regain the upper-hand, biting down on the strawberry's bottom lip and sucking hard to show his dominance, satisfied when Ichigo whimpered and dropped his hand back to his side.

Renji had taken such care in their preparation that it wasn't painful when he claimed the teen, but Ichigo's breath had still been stolen away by the sensation of Renji pushing into him inch by inch, how stretched and completely full he felt, the sheer thrill and joy of being joined in the most intimate way possible. He gazed up at Renji when their kiss broke, drinking in the moment with all his senses; sweat-slick, feverish skin on skin, their hearts pounding in unison as they breathed together, the faint smell of sex on the electric, sticky air of the room. The most gorgeous man he'd ever known resting above him, buried as deeply as he could be in his lover's body, staring back down at him with fiery, passionate orbs of garnet. It was beautiful, it was perfect. It was more than Ichigo could have ever imagined in his wildest dreams.

Finally he forced himself out of his spinning thoughts and leaned up, planting a line of kisses down Renji's throat, his tongue slowly tracing the patterns of the black, jagged lines. "Okay, I'm ready now. Move."

Renji moaned as he pushed Ichigo's knees back a bit more to give himself better access, then experimentally rolled his hips. Ichigo grunted, his head falling back on the pillow as Renji sucked and bit along his exposed neck, pulling back and then thrusting in again, causing Ichigo to cry out and thrust back, their strong bodies meeting with a hard, wet slap. They fell into a steady rhythm, Renji's thrusts slow but fluid and powerful, each one making the strawberry beneath him mewl, whine, cry out, grunt and moan as he writhed against him, tossing his head and clinging to the older man. He yelled at the ceiling as Renji's cock struck the center of pleasure inside him, once again making his toes curl as sparks flew in front of his vision.

"God, I've wanted to do this for so long, Ichi, you've no idea how long I've waited... You feel so damn good, baby, so tight around my cock, hot and smooth... Fuck, you're perfect, just perfect, baby, so beautiful when I'm fucking you..." Renji husked out through ragged, scratchy gasps of air. "Want me to go harder now?"

"God, _yes_, please. Harder, faster, I need it, please fuck me, Renji, fuck me hard," Ichigo begged helplessly, thrusting his slim hips up against the redhead's to drive the point home, clenching around the cock inside him for more friction.

"Fuck yeah, anything you want, baby, I'll fuck you so hard it will last you another three months," Renji growled out the promise, his voice sinking down even further to a deep rumble. He let go of Ichigo's thighs and slid his hands down to his hips, sitting back on his haunches and scooting back only to shove himself back inside the boy a moment later, as hard as he could.

This time Ichigo threw his head back and screamed.

"Oh God, Ichigo, fuck, that's it. Scream for me, baby," Renji groaned, repeating the move once, then again, slamming himself into the boy over and over, making sure to ram his prostate each time.

Ichigo wailed into the dark room, dragging his nails down Renji's tattooed chest, watching the angry red lines appear on shiny black-and-tan skin, Renji's head falling back as he cried out and shuddered, just pounding into the prone body of his lover even harder. The shinigami knew it had to be getting painful for his lover, mentally chastised himself for getting so carried away, but he couldn't seem to command his roughly thrusting hips to stop or slow down, and Ichigo wasn't complaining anyway. Renji had always suspected that Ichigo was a closet masochist; his violence was usually a prerequisite to passion, like his outburst in the club that led to their steamy little session in the employee break room or the way he'd get all hot and bothered after they sparred. Now Renji took advantage of it, seeing just how much he could stand as he took him roughly, using mouth and hands to create bruises, hickeys and marks all over the soft, peaches-and-cream skin wherever he could reach, more evidence that he'd been there with him. He'd need to soak in Urahara's special hot springs until he turned into a prune to clear his skin of Renji's markings.

Renji finally got a handle on himself and slowed down to a stop, letting himself fall forward and bury his face in Ichigo's neck, his voice strained when he spoke. "God, you – you're absolutely incredible, I can't even – Shit, can't even fucking believe you. So, so good, baby. I wanna see you ride me, will you let me turn around?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered in a hoarse whisper, his panted breath disturbing the strands of wet crimson that fell over Renji's shoulder and tickled Ichigo's chest, then choked on a whimper that rose up from his throat when Renji carefully pulled out.

"S'okay, baby," Renji murmured as he flopped down on his back next to the teen, rubbing Ichigo's stomach gently. "Just gimme a minute," he sighed while groping around for the white towel he sometimes used as a bandana, using it to wipe the sweat that ran in a river down his face, neck and chest before tossing it back down on the nightstand.

Ichigo stared up at the ceiling as his mind and heart raced, trying to somewhat calm himself down before they started up again.

_So this is what it's like to make love; sticky, wet and kind of gross but utterly amazing in every way. To be this close to Renji, feel him inside me, like he's actually become apart of me is just... the most incredible thing I've ever felt. God, he's so beautiful, perfect for me in every way. I'm so glad it's him and no one else, I can't imagine feeling this way about anybody, ever. He may drive me completely __insane on a daily basis, and half the time I wanna kill him for his stupidity, but at the end of the day there's nobody else in the world I'd rather want, nothing I'd change about us or what we are together. I'm totally, helplessly, recklessly in love with Renji Abarai, and I always want to be. I love him – no, that isn't even enough. I love, love, love him... I love, love, love, __**love**__ him..._

When Ichigo looked over, Renji was staring at him as if he could read every single one of his thoughts. He opened his arm and Ichigo crawled over to him, bringing their mouths together for a searing kiss as his hands slid over the hard-muscled, large, tattooed body of his lover. Renji responded in kind, his large, rough hands traveling the expanse of Ichigo's slim muscled body as their tongues wrestled, stroked and sucked each other. Ichigo tucked a piece of hair behind Renji's ear, pressing his nose into the shinigami's cheek when their kiss broke as he draped his arm over his broad chest.

"I need you, baby. Let me back in," his deep voice rumbled against Ichigo's cheek, his soft lips tickling the skin.

It was a cheesy thing to say, but Ichigo realized it was no more so than his previous thoughts about the redhead, so he didn't laugh but merely nodded while climbing up to straddle Renji's hips. The older redhead gently spread Ichigo apart once again, guiding him down onto his leaking, hardened length.

"Slow, go slow, easy..."

Ichigo lowered himself down on Renji's cock until he was fully seated, only waiting a few seconds this time before he started moving again, Renji lifting his own hips to meet him. It was different this way, more of a stab-and-grind motion instead of the in-and-out from before. At this angle the redhead's cock was in constant contact with the berry's prostate, rubbing against the little bundle of nerves just right and making him breathless within moments.

The sensation was deliciously intense now, making Ichigo bow his head as he moaned and ground himself down on Renji harder and faster, his hands pressed against Renji's tattooed, broad chest to give him leverage. As they moved together, Ichigo looked down at the man beneath him in absolute wonder. The redhead was pretty to Ichigo at every moment of every day, but he couldn't remember a time when Renji had looked this ethereally stunning before; his ruby hair fanned out on the pillow, the sweat combined with moonlight spilling through the window making his tanned skin look as if it were literally glowing, eyes dark and clouded with desire, mouth open to produce all those erotic noises of ecstasy that were driving Ichigo so crazy. He couldn't believe he got to call this man his lover.

"Fuck, Ichigo, fuck!" Renji growled as he thrust up into the body of the ginger-haired boy astride him, feeling his narrow waist moving slowly against his hands. He raised himself up on his elbows, lifting Ichigo's chin for a sensual, hot kiss, while he released one hip to wrap around the strawberry's thickened, straining, heavily leaking cock, purposefully stroking him in time with his thrusts.

"Oh, God!" Ichigo shouted into the shinigami's mouth, shivering as he bucked up into the hand that pumped his cock and then brought himself down again, clenching around the hard, throbbing heat inside him. His damp orange hair stuck down flat against his wet skin, the sweat pouring down his body and mixing with Renji's, mingling their scents. "Shit, Renji, fuck, I'm – I'm gonna come... Oh fuck, gonna come..."

"Then come on, baby, let go for me," Renji whispered huskily against the shell of Ichigo's ear, stabbing up to nail his prostate dead-on.

Ichigo's eyes flew open as he let out one last strangled yell, his throat sore from screaming, coming down heavily on Renji's cock and freezing.

Suddenly he felt as if all of his senses had gone into overdrive, shoving him into a state of hyper awareness; every inch of Renji's hard, heavy cock inside him, the softness of the sheets on his lightly squeaking bed under his knees; the moonlight seemed even brighter, their bodies engulfed in the white, milky glow; Renji's mouth and hands on him and his own arousal coalescing inside him before it spurted out of him in strands of white heat as sparks burst in front of his vision as his body jerked in hard spasms of pleasure, until he went boneless and all that could keep him upright was the wall of Renji's body.

A moment later, Renji let out his own low, ragged cry against Ichigo's sweaty neck as his cock pulsed and sent his hot seed bursting into Ichigo's core.

Then they fell together, Ichigo landing on Renji's chest as the redhead buried his face in Ichigo's hair, both of them panting and trembling as their hearts thundered against each other. When Renji gently withdrew from the teen's body Ichigo loosed a quiet sob of breath and nuzzled deeper into the crook of Renji's neck, never wanting to leave the warmth of the shinigami's embrace. To his surprise, Renji sniffled quietly as one arm curled around Ichigo's neck and cradled his head, the other lacing their fingers together and squeezing the boy's hand.

"Renji..."

The redhead gently released the strawberry's hand as he wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him closer while planting a soft kiss on his temple. He sniffed again, coughing out a barely held back sob, and Ichigo felt wetness on his head. _Sweat or... tears_? But when Ichigo looked up Renji's eyes were dry, though definitely sad, his smile holding the same note of melancholy as he stroked Ichigo's cheek with his thumb. "You're amazing, Ichi."

Ichigo smiled back, kissing the side of Renji's mouth. "Thanks, so are you." It was a silly response, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So," Renji asked while they shifted around to get more comfortable, Ichigo now settled against his side with his head tucked under his chin. Even without seeing him Ichigo could hear him leering in the darkness. "How good was I? Did I rock your world? Make you see stars? Made the earth move, as it were?"

Ichigo snorted, finding himself smirking against Renji's neck. "You were okay, I guess."

"_Okay? _By the way you were screaming and squealing –"

"I did _not _squeal!"

"– I was a hell of a lot better than just _okay_, I would say I was pretty damned amazing."

"I'd say you're pretty damned full of yourself. I mean, it didn't even last very long..."

"Oh, right, like you didn't come in three seconds after I touched your prostate, now you're critiquing _my _stamina? Ungrateful little brat."

Well, so much for afterglow, they were squabbling before their bodily fluids even had time to dry on their skin. Ichigo was too busy laughing to listen to the rest of Renji's tirade about how the strawberry should bow down and praise the almighty sex god that was Renji-fucking-Abarai.

"Know what? Just for that little smartass remark, I don't think you can have your present now."

Ichigo lifted his head. "Present? What present?"

"The one I was going to give you before you decided to run your mouth, but nevermind it now. Just forget it."

"You got me something? Really? Come on, let me see."

"Nope, sorry. Your loss, buddy," Renji yawned and scratched the back of his neck.

"Renji! Look, I'm sorry, okay? Now gimme my present!"

"No, that didn't sound very sincere."

"I really am sorry! I want my present. Please, Ren?"

"Hmm..."

"Or I'll never sleep with you again," Ichigo threatened, scowling up at his lover even though he knew the redhead couldn't see him.

Renji's body shook with laughter. "Oh, now I'm scared. Okay, but first you gotta tell me what a great fuck I am."

"Renji!"

"Come on, Ichi, just say it: 'Renji is the best fuck I've ever had.'"

Ichigo mocked his tone. "Renji is the _only _fuck I've ever had," he started to reach over his lover to get to the drawer and see if his supposed gift was hidden in there.

Renji grabbed Ichigo's arm and pinned it down over his head. "And?"

"And let me go, damnit!" Ichigo started to struggle, which resulted in a solid five minute wrestling match that ended when Renji was able to overpower his lover and trapped the smaller teen's body under his, pinning Ichigo's arms over his head and grinning wildly down at him as the spiced chocolate eyes threw daggers back at him.

While still keeping him pinned the redhead slid a hand beneath the mattress and pulled out a small, long box, smiling as he watched curiosity take over the angry expression and let Ichigo up as he put the box in his hands. Ichigo stared down at it for a moment as if he couldn't decide what to do with it, then slowly pulled the shiny blue ribbon to untie it and lifted the lid, then gasped softly.

"Whoa... It's..." Ichigo started to say before he trailed off, rendered speechless. He ran his fingers over the silver chain necklace down to the polished fang pendant.

"That's a real King Cobra's snake tooth," Renji explained, his cheeks a bit reddened, feeling suddenly bashful. "It kinda reminded me of Zabimaru, ya know, his fangs and everything. And I thought since I'm going away for a while this would be something for you to... To keep from me. Something that's kinda special."

"That is so cool," Ichigo grinned as he removed the necklace from the box and let Renji move behind him to fasten it around his neck, then met Renji's eyes warmly. "I love it. Thank you."

Renji kissed Ichigo and pulled him against his chest again, seeming relieved that he liked the gift. "No problem, baby. I love _you_."

Ichigo snuggled back up against him. "I love you, too," he answered softly, then cringed inwardly. "However, I don't so much love the feel of your come running down the back of my thighs. Not that I particularly care to get up right now, but I think I need a shower."

Renji chuckled softly. "A shower does sound nice right about now. Can I join you?"

Ichigo cocked his head and gave Renji his sweetest smile. "Only if you'll carry me into the bathroom."

Renji laughed again, shaking his head as he climbed out of bed and then gathered Ichigo into his arms, carrying him into the bathroom down the hall. After engaging in a round of shower sex, washing and then drying each other and dressing in more comfortable sleeping attire, the pair crawled back into bed and curled into each others arms where they both fell into an exhausted but deliriously content sleep. Neither of them so much as stirred until the sun was in the sky the next day.

* * *

><p>On the day of Renji's scheduled departure, Ichigo awoke to find a still-steaming mug of chamomile tea mixed with Unohana's special hangover remedy which Renji had quite correctly expected his lover would need. Next to it was a note that said the redhead had gone to drop the keys to his apartment back off to the landlord and sign the documents to absolve the lease, then he'd come back to cook Ichigo breakfast before they had to go. As he nursed his cup of tea, his mind wandered back over the events of last night and the summer they'd spent together. It hadn't all been roses and sunshine, but everything they'd been through left him with a sense of closeness with Renji that he'd never felt to this degree before, not even when they worked together to save Rukia. If they could live with each other for three months and not kill one another, it had to mean something.<p>

His fingers brushed over the snake tooth necklace that was still around his neck, a smile touching his lips. Even though his sadness at Renji's leaving hadn't completely dissipated, he still felt somewhat better after his 'talk' with the redhead, knowing for sure now that Renji would be back eventually. He didn't know how long it would be until the shinigami could return, but at least he wouldn't be alone forever.

Renji soon arrived back at the Kurosaki home and after making sure the hangover remedy was doing its job to cure the head- and stomachaches he'd mumbled something about when Renji tried to wake him earlier, then went back downstairs to make the breakfast he'd promised his lover. They ate in bed together and spent the rest of the early afternoon enjoying each other before Renji finally announced that he needed to get going. They got dressed in relative silence, then made their way to the shoten on foot, both enjoying the warm, beautiful day.

Upon their arrival inside Urahara's shoten, both were promptly smacked on the head with a closed fan that a moment later opened to hide the mischievous shopkeeper's no doubt smiling face, his wide brimmed white and green striped hat creating shadows around his eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kurosaki and the moocher! Long time no see, guys. Three months and you haven't even stopped in to say hello," the blond man goaded in his usual jubilant tone, clicking his tongue as he shook his head lightly. "How terribly rude of you both. What, you think if you don't need anything from me there's no reason to come around? Honestly, that hurts!"

As Renji cursed under his breath and rubbed the injured spot on his head, Ichigo simply laughed off his old sensei. "Yeah, we're sorry about that, Hat 'n' Clogs. I guess we just got busy with – "

"Oh, there's no need to go into the juicy details, Kurosaki!" Urahara chirped, practically cackling. "I think I know plenty well just what you two were _busy _with!"

Ichigo flushed deep red and scratched his neck with a nervous chuckle while Renji gave Kisuke a murderous glare. "Fuckin' old pervert," he muttered.

"Ah! What was that, moocher?" The man inquired as he raised the brim of his hat slightly to look at the redhead.

"Nothin'," Renji grumbled. "I'm just gonna go take off this gigai, be right back," he added mostly to Ichigo before he disappeared down the hall.

Ichigo nodded as he watched his lover go, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He said 'hello' to Yorouichi as she passed by in sleek black cat form to go outside and play with Jinta and Ururu, then went into the kitchen to get some tea when Tessai offered to make him up a mug. He, Kisuke and Tessai sat down together, sipping tea and eating the snacks the shopkeeper's helper set out while they chatted until Renji came back out, dressed back in his shinigami attire with Zabimaru slung over his shoulders. Ichigo stood up from his place at the table and went over to him as the older shinigami took a deep breath.

"I gotta go now, baby," Renji told him softly, his voice slightly choked up.

Ichigo nodded as he leaned into the redhead, his arms going around his waist. "I know. But you'll be back as soon as you can, right?"

"As soon as they'll let me," Renji agreed, then leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips. "So, try not to get yourself killed before I get back."

"Hey!" Ichigo punched him on the shoulder. "More like _you _should try not to get yourself killed before you come back. Don't be an idiot."

"Shut up, dumbass," Renji jabbed back, digging his fingers into Ichigo's ribs until he yelped. As the boy glared at him, he reached up to run his fingers through soft ginger spikes. "I love you."

Ichigo's eyes softened, tugging softly on a crimson point of the pineapple top ponytail. "I love you, too," he leaned up and kissed Renji again, murmuring against his lips. "Asshole."

The shinigami snorted quietly as he rubbed his nose against the boy's temple, squeezing him once more before he finally let go and walked over to join Urahara as he opened the senkaimon. He started for the white light that would take him back home, then stopped again, turning around to give Ichigo the biggest, most radiant wolfish grin he could muster. "See ya later, kiddo."

Ichigo managed a smile back as he gave a small wave. "See ya."

Renji gave a nod, then turned around and disappeared into the dengai. For a moment all was silent, then Urahara appeared in front of Ichigo, fanning himself. "So, Kurosaki, will you be staying with us for lunch?"

"Thanks," Ichigo said softly as he put his hands back into his pockets. "But, I actually need to be heading back home. I've gotta start getting ready to go back to school, and then I promised my dad I'd pick up my sisters."

The shopkeeper's sky blue eyes held understanding. "Ah well, all right then. Don't be a stranger, Kurosaki."

"I won't," the substitute shinigami promised, saying goodbye to Tessai and waving his farewells to Jinta, Ururu and Yorouichi as he passed by them.

Ichigo walked slowly on the way back home, taking in the sights and sounds of his neighborhood as Karakura Town's summer wound down and everyone prepared for the autumn ahead. The sun was warm on his back as the breeze rustled in the trees and tousled his hair. The soft weight of Renji's snake tooth necklace hung around his neck, the fang pressed coolly against his warm chest under his shirt, with the memory of Renji's words echoing in his mind.

_He'll be back. No matter what happens, he'll always come back to me._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Well, there you go! Hope you enjoyed it, and there will definitely be plenty more stories to come. Next up will likely be a Byakuya/Renji story, then possibly a Kaien/Shuuhei. Thanks so much for reading and for all the support!

**Love,**

**Hotaru  
><strong>


	5. The Shopkeeper: Alternate Ending

**A/N: **Hello, all my lovely readers! I know I said that 'I Love You, Idiot' was finished, and technically it is, but I got so many responses from people that said they were disappointed that Renji and Ichigo were separated at the end, so I decided to add on my other idea for the end of the story. Now you guys can decide whichever ending you want or like! I am so sorry it's taking me so long to get my Renji/Byakuya story done like I promised, my mom had a pretty major surgery and she's still in the hospital so things have been kind of hectic. But anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am still working on it, and it shouldn't be too much longer!

I love you all so much!

-Hotaru

* * *

><p>On the day of Renji's scheduled departure, Ichigo awoke to find a still-steaming mug of chamomile tea mixed with Unohana's special hangover remedy which Renji had quite correctly expected his lover would need. Next to it was a note that said the redhead had gone to drop the keys to his apartment back off to the landlord and sign the documents to absolve the lease, then he'd come back to cook Ichigo breakfast before they had to go. As he nursed his cup of tea, his mind wandered back over the events of last night and the summer they'd spent together. It hadn't all been roses and sunshine, but everything they'd been through left him with a sense of closeness with Renji that he'd never felt to this degree before, not even when they worked together to save Rukia. If they could live with each other for three months and not kill one another, it had to mean something.<p>

His fingers brushed over the snake tooth necklace that was still around his neck, a smile touching his lips. Even though his sadness at Renji's leaving hadn't completely dissipated, he still felt somewhat better after his 'talk' with the redhead, knowing for sure now that Renji would be back eventually. He didn't know how long it would be until the shinigami could return, but at least he wouldn't be alone forever.

Renji soon arrived back at the Kurosaki home and after making sure the hangover remedy was doing its job to cure the head- and stomachaches he'd mumbled something about when Renji tried to wake him earlier, then went back downstairs to make the breakfast he'd promised his lover. They ate in bed together and spent the rest of the early afternoon enjoying each other before Renji finally announced that he needed to get going. They got dressed in relative silence, then made their way to the shoten on foot, both enjoying the warm, beautiful day.

Upon their arrival inside Urahara's shoten, both were promptly smacked on the head with a closed fan that a moment later opened to hide the mischievous shopkeeper's no doubt smiling face, his wide brimmed white and green striped hat creating shadows around his eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't Kurosaki and the moocher! Long time no see, guys. Three months and you haven't even stopped in to say hello," the blond man goaded in his usual jubilant tone, clicking his tongue as he shook his head lightly. "How terribly rude of you both. What, you think if you don't need anything from me there's no reason to come around? Honestly, that hurts!"

As Renji cursed under his breath and rubbed the injured spot on his head, Ichigo simply laughed off his old sensei. "Yeah, we're sorry about that, Hat 'n' Clogs. I guess we just got busy with – "

"Oh, there's no need to go into the juicy details, Kurosaki!" Urahara chirped, practically cackling. "I think I know plenty well just what you two were _busy _with!"

Ichigo flushed deep red and scratched his neck with a nervous chuckle while Renji gave Kisuke a murderous glare. "Fuckin' old pervert," he muttered.

"Ah! What was that, moocher?" The man inquired as he raised the brim of his hat slightly to look at the redhead.

"Nothin'," Renji grumbled. "I'm just gonna go take off this gigai, be right back," he added mostly to Ichigo before he disappeared down the hall.

Ichigo nodded as he watched his lover go, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He said 'hello' to Yorouichi as she passed by in sleek black cat form to go outside and play with Jinta and Ururu, then went into the kitchen to get some tea when Tessai offered to make him up a mug. He, Kisuke and Tessai sat down together, sipping tea and eating the snacks the shopkeeper's helper set out while they chatted until Renji came back out, dressed back in his shinigami attire with Zabimaru slung over his shoulders. Ichigo stood up from his place at the table and went over to him as the older shinigami took a deep breath.

"I gotta go now, baby," Renji told him softly, his voice slightly choked up.

Ichigo nodded as he leaned into the redhead, his arms going around his waist. "I know. But you'll be back as soon as you can, right?"

"As soon as they'll let me," Renji agreed, then leaned down to kiss him softly on the lips. "So, try not to get yourself killed before I get back."

"Hey!" Ichigo punched him on the shoulder. "More like _you _should try not to get yourself killed before you come back. Don't be an idiot."

"Shut up, dumbass," Renji jabbed back, digging his fingers into Ichigo's ribs until he yelped. As the boy glared at him, he reached up to run his fingers through soft ginger spikes. "I love you."

Ichigo's eyes softened, tugging softly on a crimson point of the pineapple top ponytail. "I love you, too," he leaned up and kissed Renji again, murmuring against his lips. "Asshole."

The shinigami snorted quietly as he rubbed his nose against the boy's temple, squeezing him once more before he finally let go and walked over to join Urahara as he opened the senkaimon. He started for the white light that would take him back home, then stopped again, turning around to give Ichigo the biggest, most radiant wolfish grin he could muster. "See ya later, kiddo."

Ichigo managed a smile back as he gave a small wave. "See ya."

Renji gave a nod, then turned around and disappeared into the dengai. For a moment all was silent, then Urahara appeared in front of Ichigo, fanning himself. "So, Kurosaki, will you be staying with us for lunch?"

"Thanks," Ichigo said softly as he put his hands back into his pockets. "But, I actually need to be heading back home. I've gotta start getting ready to go back to school next week, and then I promised my dad I'd pick up my sisters," he told Urahara and Tessai, giving them a smile and nod before heading for the front door.

"Hold up there, Kurosaki," Urahara called after him, walking over to where the teen stood.

Ichigo turned around. "Yeah?"

The boy yelped as he was dealt a heavy blow to the forehead by the bottom end of Urahara's cane, causing his body to forcibly separate from his soul and thud heavily to the floor in a heap.

"Shit, Hat 'n' Clogs! What the hell was that for?" Ichigo yelled with a scowl, his hands balling into tight fists. "You can't just go around shoving people's souls out of their bodies like that without giving them fair warning! Damnit, I hit the floor really hard, what if I have a concussion now, or permanent brain damage? And what if I had fallen down face first? I could have broken my nose or something! Grr," he growled, reaching back for Zangetsu.

"Calm down, Kurosaki!" Urahara said merrily. "I'm sure there's no significant damage, but if it makes you feel any better I'll have Tessai look over your body and make sure to heal any injuries he finds. Anyway, I'm sorry for being so abrupt, but it had to be done. You can't go to Soul Society in your body!"

"Huh, what do you mean? I can't go to Soul Society, didn't you hear what I was saying before? I go back to school in one week," Ichigo frowned in confusion.

"Mm, correction: You _would have_ gone back to school next week, but I heard a little birdie called in to your principal and told him that you needed another two weeks off because of an, ahem, 'emergency'."

"But that's a lie! There is no emergency," the ginger-haired youth argued. It's not that he didn't want to go to the Siereitei and get an extra two weeks with his lover, but he didn't like the idea of giving the principal of his school a phony excuse to do it. Plus all the work he would miss...

"Oh, believe me, when Kuchiki-taichou loses his temper and goes bankai on your lover because he's too busy daydreaming and missing you to get any work done, it will be an emergency. Now don't worry about anything, I've got it all under control. Your teachers said they would give you an extension on your assignments, and Orihime and Uryu promised to keep all the notes you'll need to catch up when you get back," the shopkeeper reassured him, then reopened the senkaimon. "Now go on. If you hurry you'll probably catch up to Renji before he reaches Soul Society."

Ichigo chewed his lip, looking into the dengai and then glancing back outside before looking at Urahara again. "What about my family?"

"I'll let them know. Like I said, don't worry, I can take care of things," Urahara smiled.

Ichigo chewed his lip before grinning and nodding. "Thanks for everything, Hat 'n' Clogs. I owe you one," he told the shopkeeper before darting into the white light of the senkaimon, running after his lover and calling to him.

"Renji! Hey Renji, wait up! I'm coming!"


End file.
